Hurt in a Work Van Crash? You Do Not Have to Sort Out the Details Alone

If you are looking for a work van crash lawyer in Henrico County, this page explains what that work involves. A work van crash claim arises when a van owned, leased or sent out by an employer is part of a collision that causes injury or death. Correll Law Firm handles these claims for people in Richmond and Henrico County from its offices in Winchester and Harrisonburg.

What a Work Van Crash Lawyer Handles

A work van crash lawyer handles injury claims from collisions with vans used for an employer’s business. These vans include delivery vans, trade vans that carry tools and crews, and vans sent out on service calls. The employer may own the van, lease it, or dispatch it on its work.

Correll Law Firm handles car accidents, truck accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and wrongful death. A work van crash often falls under commercial vehicle accidents, and it can involve any of those injury types.

Claims like these can come from drivers, passengers, other motorists and pedestrians. Families of people killed in these crashes may also have claims.

Many people assume the driver is the only party to examine. In practice, a work van crash can raise questions about the driver, the company and others. The next section covers those questions.

For background on commercial vehicle claims in Virginia, read the commercial vehicle accident guide.

Who May Be Responsible When a Work Van Is Involved

More than one party may share responsibility when a work van crashes. The driver is one possible party. The employer or vehicle owner may be another, depending on how the van was assigned and used. Other drivers and companies that maintained the van can also play a role.

Who may be named turns on the facts of the crash and the relationship between the driver and the employer. Each party needs a close look before anyone can say who is responsible.

Several records help show who was responsible. These include the vehicle registration, company dispatch or route logs, maintenance records and the crash report. Records can be lost or overwritten over time, so early requests matter.

For how a company and its driver are examined together, read about suing a company and its driver.

Serious Injuries the Firm Handles in Van Crash Cases

The firm handles serious injuries that can follow a van crash, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.

• Traumatic brain injury. This includes concussions, skull fractures and bleeding in the brain. Keep every follow-up visit, because medical records show how the injury developed.
• Spinal cord injury. Damage to the spinal cord can cause partial or complete paralysis. It can also create long-term needs for medical care and daily help.
• Catastrophic injuries. These include multiple fractures, amputations, internal organ damage and injuries that change a person’s ability to work or live independently.
• Wrongful death. Families who lose a loved one in a work van crash may have a claim. The Virginia rules for these cases appear below.

Injuries like these often change a family’s finances and work life. The claim can reach well beyond the hospital bill. Related pages cover bus accident claims and dump truck and tanker truck claims.

Virginia Rules That Shape a Work Van Claim

Virginia sets deadlines, fault rules and damages rules that shape a work van claim. The key rules are stated below.

Reporting the crash. 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). The two-year period is the deadline to file a lawsuit, not to report a crash.

Filing 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. A claim against a county, city or town generally requires a written statement within six months (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.” Va. Code § 15.2-209 reads: “Every claim cognizable against any county, city, or town for negligence shall be forever barred unless the claimant or his agent, attorney, or representative has filed a written statement of the nature of the claim, which includes the time and place at which the injury is alleged to have occurred, within six months after such cause of action accrued.” That matters when the van belongs to a public employer.

Partial 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.

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). Family members do not file the case. They share in the recovery under Va. Code § 8.01-53, in a set order: first the surviving spouse, children of the deceased and children of any deceased child of the deceased, with parents, siblings and other dependent relatives eligible only in certain cases.

What to Expect From the First Steps Through the Claim

A van crash claim generally moves through five steps: medical care, evidence, investigation, valuing losses, and negotiation or a lawsuit. The time each step takes depends on the facts.

1. Medical care and records. Follow the treatment plan. Keep bills, records and notes about symptoms, since they show how the injury happened and how it affects daily life.
2. Evidence. Photos of the van and the scene, witness names, vehicle damage and the crash report can be lost or changed quickly. Preserving them early matters.
3. Investigation. Employer records, route logs and maintenance files can help identify the parties. Outside reconstruction reviewers may study the crash.
4. Valuing the losses. This covers medical bills, lost income, lost ability to work and the effects of the injury on daily life.
5. Negotiation or lawsuit. Some claims resolve through negotiation. Others need a lawsuit.

A common mistake is waiting too long to gather records. Delay can make the crash harder to prove.

Serving Henrico County and Richmond From Winchester and Harrisonburg

The firm serves people in Henrico County and Richmond from its offices in Winchester and Harrisonburg. Those are the firm’s only offices, and the firm does not claim an office in Richmond or Henrico County.

People across the Shenandoah Valley are also served. For a work van crash in Henrico County, the firm handles the injury types and claim types described on this page.

Common Questions About Work Van Crashes