Catastrophic Injuries | Richmond and Henrico County

Catastrophic Injuries: A Guide for Richmond and Henrico County Families

Published October 21, 2026

A catastrophic injury is a serious injury that causes long-term or permanent harm. Correll Law Firm is a catastrophic injuries law firm serving Richmond, Henrico County, and the Shenandoah Valley. It represents people hurt in car and commercial truck crashes, along with families in wrongful death cases.

What Counts as a Catastrophic Injury and Who This Page Is For

A catastrophic injury is one that causes lasting or permanent harm. Examples include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and severe burns.

A minor injury often heals within weeks or months. A catastrophic injury can need years of medical care. It can also change how a person works, drives, and manages daily life at home.

This page is written for two groups. The first is injured adults in Richmond and Henrico County who are living with a serious injury. The second is families caring for a loved one with a serious injury, or families who have lost someone in a crash.

Medical records shape how a case is understood. Your own doctors remain the source of medical facts. Every case turns on its own facts, so this guide focuses on the questions worth bringing to a lawyer.

Not sure what your next step is?

Talk it through with Correll Law Firm — we can walk you through how a situation like yours is usually handled and what your options are.

Schedule a case evaluation

Case Types the Firm Handles: Car, Truck, Commercial Vehicle, and Wrongful Death

Correll Law Firm focuses on car accidents, truck accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and wrongful death.

Car Accidents

Serious car crashes on Richmond-area roads include rear-end, intersection, and single-vehicle crashes.

Truck and Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Commercial crashes often involve more parties, such as the driver, the company that employs the driver, and the vehicle owner. They also produce more records.

Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries

Brain and spinal cord injuries often need rehabilitation over a long period. The Model Systems TBI factsheet explains that people with traumatic brain injury may receive rehabilitation across emergency, acute, and post-acute stages. In Virginia, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services describes a long-term rehabilitation case management program for people with documented spinal cord injuries. Eligibility requirements apply.

Wrongful Death

A Virginia wrongful death action is filed by the decedent’s personal representative within two years of the death (Va. Code §§ 8.01-50(C), 8.01-244(B)), on behalf of the family members the statute protects.

Virginia wrongful death damages cover the family’s sorrow, mental anguish and loss of the decedent’s companionship, guidance and care; lost income and services; medical expenses from the injury; funeral expenses; and, for willful or wanton conduct, punitive damages (Va. Code § 8.01-52).

What to Document and Do After a Serious Crash

After a serious crash, get medical care first. Then keep records of what happened and how the injury affects your life.

Virginia requires a driver involved in a crash with injury or death to stop and report it to police immediately (Va. Code §§ 46.2-371, 8.01-243). The two-year period is the deadline to file a lawsuit, not to report a crash. The duty to stop appears in Va. Code § 8.01-243.

Useful steps include:

Keep discharge papers, test results, and bills from every provider.
Photograph the scene, the vehicles, and visible injuries.
Write down names, insurance details, and police report numbers.
Keep a simple daily journal of pain, missed work, and tasks you can no longer do.

In truck crashes, evidence can include duty-status logs, maintenance records, and driver files. Federal rules require a motor carrier to keep a driver qualification file for each driver it employs (49 C.F.R. § 391.51). After certain crashes, employers test surviving drivers for alcohol (49 C.F.R. § 382.303). A test not given within two hours is recorded with the reasons why.

A lawyer may review these records. You may wish to speak with a lawyer about which steps fit your facts.

Richmond and Henrico County Injury Claims: The General Process

Here is how it typically works.

Share the basic facts. Tell the firm when and where the crash happened, what injuries you have, and which doctors or hospitals treated you.
Review the facts. The firm reviews what you share and identifies which questions need medical or records review.
Discuss next steps. The firm explains possible next steps and the information that would help. It does not estimate timelines or amounts at this stage.

Bring any discharge papers, photos, and police report numbers you have. The firm serves Richmond and Henrico County residents from its Winchester and Harrisonburg locations.

Serious Injury Cases the Firm Handles

Offices: Winchester and Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Focus: car, truck, and commercial vehicle crashes, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and wrongful death.
Area served: Richmond, Henrico County, the Shenandoah Valley, and other parts of Virginia.
Staff: the firm has support staff, including assistants and office staff.

Each legal point on this page links to its official source, so you can read the law yourself.

Common Questions About Catastrophic Injury Cases in Richmond

Do I have to hire a lawyer?

You may wish to speak with a lawyer about your situation before you decide what to do next.

How long do I have to file a lawsuit?

Virginia generally allows two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (Va. Code § 8.01-243(A)); the clock runs from the date of injury, not the date of discovery, with narrow exceptions. Some claims carry notice requirements that run out sooner. For example, claims against a county, city, or town can require a written statement within six months, though failure to file it does not bar the claim if the locality’s attorney, chief executive, or mayor, or its insurer, had actual knowledge of the claim within that time (Va. Code § 15.2-209). Va. Code § 15.2-209 reads: “Failure to provide such statement shall not bar a claim against any county, city, or town, provided that the attorney, chief executive, or mayor of such locality, or any insurer or entity providing coverage or indemnification of the claim, had actual knowledge of the claim, which includes the nature of the claim and the time and place at which the injury is alleged to have occurred, within six months after such cause of action accrued.”

What if I was partly at fault for the crash? Virginia follows contributory negligence: if you are found even partly at fault, you may be barred from recovering, with limited exceptions. Talk to a lawyer about your facts.

Is Correll Law Firm a catastrophic injuries law firm for Richmond?

Yes. The firm is a catastrophic injuries law firm that serves Richmond and Henrico County residents from its offices in Winchester and Harrisonburg.