After a crash, know what to do and where you stand

Car Accidents in Richmond, VA: What to Do & Your Rights

Car accidents happen every day in Richmond and Henrico County. Many are minor fender-benders, but others cause serious injuries—head trauma, spinal damage, broken bones—that change lives. If you’ve been hit, you need to know what to do right now, how fault works under Virginia law, and where to find help.

Car Accidents Are Common in Richmond—and Often Serious

Richmond’s traffic infrastructure makes accidents inevitable. Interstate 95 and Interstate 64 carry heavy daily traffic through the city and surrounding areas. High-speed collisions, rear-end crashes, and multi-vehicle pileups happen regularly on these corridors. Local roads and intersections also see frequent accidents during rush hour and in poor weather.

When vehicles collide at speed, the injuries are often severe. Victims suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, internal bleeding, and fractures. Many face months of medical treatment, physical therapy, and lost income. Some never fully recover. In the catastrophic-injury cases our attorneys handle, we see firsthand how a single crash upends a person’s life—their ability to work, their independence, their future.

Why Car Accidents Happen in Richmond

Understanding what causes crashes helps you stay safe and also matters if you’re injured. Richmond accidents stem from several common factors:

Traffic volume and road design. I-95 and I-64 move thousands of vehicles daily. Heavy congestion increases the risk of rear-end collisions when drivers follow too closely or fail to brake in time. Intersection design and sight-line issues also contribute to crashes, especially at busy intersections in the West End and downtown.

Weather and visibility. Rain, fog, and wet pavement reduce traction and visibility. Drivers who don’t adjust their speed cause skids and collisions.

Driver behavior. Distracted driving—phones, eating, passengers—takes attention off the road. Speeding, aggressive lane changes, and failing to yield cause crashes. Impaired driving remains a serious factor in Richmond accidents.

Rear-end collisions. These are among the most common crashes in Richmond. They happen when a driver fails to maintain a safe following distance or doesn’t brake in time. The driver who hits from behind is almost always found at fault.

What to Do Immediately After a Car Accident in Richmond

Your actions in the first moments after a crash matter. Here’s what to do:

Check for injuries and call for help. If anyone is hurt, call 911 immediately. Don’t move an injured person unless there’s immediate danger (fire, oncoming traffic). Provide your location clearly to the dispatcher.

Move to safety. If vehicles are drivable and it’s safe, move them out of traffic. Turn on hazard lights. If you can’t move the vehicles, stay inside with your seatbelt on and wait for police.

Document the scene. Take photos and video of vehicle damage, road conditions, traffic signals, and street signs. Photograph the other vehicle’s license plate and the overall scene. This evidence is crucial later.

Exchange information. Get the other driver’s name, phone number, address, driver’s license number, vehicle make and model, license plate, and insurance company and policy number. Write it down or take a photo.

Get witness contact information. If anyone saw the crash, ask for their name and phone number. Witness statements often support your account of what happened.

Report to police. Call or wait for police to arrive. Provide a clear, factual account of the crash. Obtain the police report number. This report becomes critical documentation for your claim.

Notify your insurance company. Report the accident to your insurer promptly. Stick to the facts; don’t admit fault or speculate about injuries.

Seek medical attention. Even if you feel fine, see a doctor. Some injuries—especially traumatic brain injuries and internal injuries—don’t show symptoms immediately. A medical record created soon after the crash documents your injuries and strengthens your claim.

How to Look Up an Accident Report in Virginia

Police accident reports are public records. You’ll need one for your insurance claim and any legal case. To obtain a report:

Contact the Virginia State Police or the Richmond Police Department with the date, location, and names of the parties involved. You can request a report in person or online through the Virginia State Police website. Provide your case number or report number if you have it. Your attorney can also request the report on your behalf, which often speeds up the process.

A police report documents the officer’s observations, statements from drivers and witnesses, road and weather conditions, and preliminary fault assessment. It’s essential evidence in determining liability.

Serious Injuries from Richmond Car Accidents

Car crashes cause a range of injuries, from minor to catastrophic:

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Impact or sudden deceleration can cause the brain to move inside the skull, causing bruising, bleeding, or swelling. Symptoms may include headache, confusion, memory loss, balance problems, or loss of consciousness. Some TBI symptoms appear days after the crash. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke notes that even mild TBI can have lasting effects on cognition and mood.

Spinal cord injuries. Damage to the spine can cause partial or complete paralysis, loss of sensation, and loss of bowel or bladder control. Recovery requires intensive rehabilitation and often lifelong care and adaptive equipment.

Whiplash and soft-tissue injuries. Sudden deceleration in rear-end collisions stretches neck and back muscles and ligaments. Pain and stiffness may develop over hours or days.

Internal injuries and broken bones. Blunt force trauma can cause internal bleeding, organ damage, and fractures. These injuries require immediate emergency care.

Lacerations and contusions. Broken glass and impact cause cuts and bruising.

The key point: don’t assume you’re uninjured just because you feel okay immediately after the crash. Seek medical evaluation promptly.

Why Determining Fault Matters in a Richmond Car Accident

Virginia is a fault-based insurance state. This means the driver at fault for the accident is responsible for paying damages to the injured party through their insurance. Establishing fault is therefore critical to your claim.

Fault is determined by evidence: police reports, witness statements, photographs of vehicle damage and the scene, traffic signal status, and road conditions. In rear-end collisions, fault is usually clear—the following driver failed to maintain a safe distance and is at fault. In intersection crashes, determining who had the right of way matters.

Virginia follows pure contributory negligence (a court-made rule). If your own negligence contributed to the injury in any degree, you generally recover nothing. Narrow exceptions exist, so an attorney investigates the accident thoroughly, gathers evidence, builds a factual record to establish fault, and evaluates whether any exception applies to your claim.

How a Car Accident Attorney Helps You After a Richmond Crash

Handling a serious injury claim on your own is overwhelming. An attorney manages the process so you can focus on recovery:

• Investigates the accident. We gather police reports, interview witnesses, photograph the scene, and obtain vehicle damage reports.
• Handles insurance communication. We negotiate with the at-fault driver’s insurance company on your behalf, protecting your rights and preventing you from saying something that harms your claim.
• Obtains medical records. We coordinate with your doctors and hospitals to document your injuries and treatment.
• Calculates damages. We tally medical bills, lost wages, rehabilitation costs, and pain and suffering to determine what your case is worth.
• Negotiates settlement. We pursue fair compensation through settlement negotiations.
• Prepares for trial. If settlement fails, we prepare your case for court.

Correll Law Firm Represents Injured People in Richmond and Henrico County

We serve Richmond residents and Henrico County drivers who’ve been seriously hurt in car accidents. We handle traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death cases. We also represent clients injured in truck accidents and commercial vehicle crashes.

We work on a contingency basis: you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you. You may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses. We offer free case evaluations to discuss your accident, your injuries, and your options. Our offices in Winchester, Front Royal, and Harrisonburg serve the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding regions, and we represent injured people throughout Virginia.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve been seriously hurt in a Richmond car accident and are facing medical bills, lost wages, and uncertainty about what comes next, our team is here to help. People in your situation reach out to us regularly—and we’re ready to discuss what happened, what you’re owed, and how we can support your recovery. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.