Serious injuries change everything. The firm helps you understand your options.

A catastrophic injury case begins when a serious injury, such as a brain or spinal cord injury, is caused by a crash or another person’s careless conduct. This page explains what these cases involve, which matters the firm handles, and some Virginia rules that may affect a claim. Correll Law Firm serves people in Waynesboro and across the Shenandoah Valley from its Winchester and Harrisonburg locations.

What a Catastrophic Injury Case Involves

A catastrophic injury is a serious harm that can change how a person lives, works, and cares for themselves for a long time. The word describes how severe an injury is. It is not a fixed legal category.

Serious injuries often need detailed medical records, and some effects take time to show. Many families also face lost income, medical bills, and new daily care needs. Those losses are part of the story a lawyer reviews.

This page is for two groups. The first is people hurt in a serious car or truck crash. The second is families who have lost a loved one in a crash.

You may wish to talk with a lawyer if an injury is serious, if fault is disputed, or if an insurer’s questions leave you unsure. A lawyer can explain how the facts may fit Virginia law.

Crashes and Injuries the Firm Handles

The firm handles car accidents, commercial truck and commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and wrongful death.

• Car accidents. Collisions between passenger vehicles, where another driver’s conduct may have caused the harm.
• Truck and commercial vehicle accidents. Large trucks weigh considerably more than passenger vehicles, which is one reason their crashes can cause serious injuries. That weight gap is one reason these crashes call for careful review.
• Traumatic brain injury. The NINDS traumatic brain injury page describes it as a bump, blow, or jolt to the head.
• Spinal cord injury. The NINDS spinal cord injury page explains that the spinal cord has three layers of protective tissue and is cushioned by fluid. Recovery differs from person to person, and a crash alone does not show how it will go.

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. The personal representative is the person appointed to manage the deceased person’s estate. You can read Va. Code § 8.01-244 for the filing rule.

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). They do not file the case themselves.

Serving Waynesboro Residents from the Firm’s Offices

The firm’s offices are in Winchester and Harrisonburg, and it serves people in Waynesboro and across the Shenandoah Valley. The firm also serves people in Richmond and Henrico County.

The firm has no office in Waynesboro, and it does not claim one. Serving a community is different from keeping an office there. Waynesboro residents are served the same way as people from any other Valley town.

A Waynesboro resident can describe the crash location, the injuries, and the people involved in the first conversation. Follow-up questions come after that, based on the facts each person shares.

How the Free Case Evaluation Works

Here is what to expect.

1. First contact. You share the basic facts of the crash, your injuries, and who was involved.
2. Review of the facts. The firm looks at how the crash happened and how the injuries affect work and daily life. The firm handles this review.
3. Gathering records. Useful items include the police report, photos from the scene, medical records, and letters from insurers. Keep a simple journal of symptoms, appointments, and missed work.
4. Next steps. You decide whether to continue. Timing varies with each claim, and gathering records early tends to help.

Virginia Rules That May Affect Your Claim

Several Virginia rules can decide whether a claim moves forward and when a lawsuit must be filed.

Fault. 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.

Deadline. 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. Subsection A of Va. Code § 8.01-243 provides that, unless otherwise provided in that section or by other statute, every action for personal injuries must be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues.

Crash reporting. 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, 46.2-894). That duty concerns reporting the crash, not the lawsuit deadline. See Va. Code § 46.2-894.

Punitive damages. Virginia allows punitive damages for actual malice, or for willful or wanton conduct or recklessness showing a conscious disregard for the safety of others, capped at $350,000 (Va. Code § 8.01-38.1). Read the cap in Va. Code § 8.01-38.1.

Where Correll Law Firm Handles Cases

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

• Practice focus. The firm’s work centers on the case types listed on this page.
• Support. Assistants and office staff help with records, updates, and questions about the process.
• Lawyer review. A lawyer at the firm reviews the facts of each matter.

Common Questions About Catastrophic Injury Claims