Hurt in a Tractor-Trailer Crash? Richmond Families Can Talk With Correll Law Firm

What a Truck Accident Lawyer Handles

A truck accident lawyer handles injury claims after crashes involving tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles. Correll Law Firm handles these crashes along with car accidents, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and wrongful death.

Commercial vehicles are trucks and other vehicles used to carry goods or people for work. A crash involving one often has more parties than a crash between two cars. The driver, the trucking company, a cargo company, or a vehicle owner may each have a role. Each one may hold records that matter.

Some of these cases involve a catastrophic injury, such as a brain or spinal cord injury. These injuries can affect work, family life, and daily routines.

The firm’s offices are in Winchester and Harrisonburg. It represents people from the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond and Henrico County.

When It May Be Worth Talking With a Lawyer

A reader may wish to speak with a lawyer when a truck crash leaves them or a family member seriously hurt, or when a crash causes a death.

Many people recognize these moments:

• An emergency room visit or ambulance ride after the crash
• Broken bones, torn ligaments, or back or neck pain that limits daily activity
• A head injury, spinal injury, or any injury that needs ongoing treatment
• A crash involving a company-owned truck or trailer
• Letters or requests from insurance adjusters asking for statements or records

A lawyer may review the crash facts, the police report, and the medical records. That review can help you understand your options. It does not predict how any claim will turn out.

What Gets Reviewed After a Truck Crash

A lawyer may review the police report, photos, witness information, medical records, medical bills, and records from the trucking company. These documents show how the crash happened and what injuries followed.

Federal rules add records worth knowing about. After certain crashes, including those with injuries that need immediate medical treatment away from the scene, an employer must test the surviving driver who receives a citation within 8 hours of the occurrence under State or local law for a moving traffic violation arising from the accident. Alcohol testing is due as soon as practicable after the occurrence; if it is not administered within two hours following the accident, the employer must prepare and maintain a record of the reasons, and attempts must stop after eight hours. 49 C.F.R. § 382.303 If a test is late, the employer must keep a written reason.

Federal rules also limit driving time. Under 49 C.F.R. § 395.3, a driver of a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle may drive a total of 11 hours during the 14-hour period after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. 49 C.F.R. § 391.51 A motor carrier must keep a driver qualification file while the driver is employed and for three years afterward. 49 C.F.R. § 391.51

Crash reporting is a separate duty. 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).

What to Expect in the Early Steps of a Claim

The process has three simple steps.

1. Share the basic facts. Tell the firm when and where the crash happened, which vehicles were involved, and what injuries you have. You can do this by phone or in person at the Winchester or Harrisonburg office.
2. Review what may be needed. The firm talks through the facts and names documents that may help. These often include the police report, medical records, photos, and any letters from insurers.
3. Decide what comes next. You choose whether to move forward. The evaluation is confidential, and you have no obligation to continue.

Virginia Rules to Know: Fault and Deadlines

Virginia’s fault and filing rules can decide whether a claim moves forward. Know them early.

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.

Deadlines. 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.

Fatal crashes. 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.

Damages. 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).

How the Firm Handles These Cases

Correll Law Firm handles car accidents, truck accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and wrongful death matters. The firm works from offices in Winchester and Harrisonburg.

• Location: The firm’s offices are in Winchester and Harrisonburg.
• Service area: The firm represents people from the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond and Henrico County.
• Staff: The firm has assistants and office staff.
• Focus: The firm focuses on crashes involving cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles, along with the serious injuries and deaths these crashes can cause.

Common Questions About Truck Crash Cases