After a Car Accident in Virginia, Know Your Next Steps

Car accident treatment is the medical care you get after a crash, and your doctors and other licensed providers give it. This guide explains how that care, your records, Virginia’s crash-reporting duty, fault rules and filing deadlines fit together. It is written for drivers, passengers and family members in Virginia.

What This Page Covers and Who It Is For

This page covers the medical and legal steps after a car accident in Virginia. It is written for drivers, passengers and family members who are helping someone who was hurt.

Correll Law Firm is a personal injury firm that has an office in Winchester and an office in Harrisonburg. It serves people across the Shenandoah Valley. It also serves people in Richmond and Henrico County.

The firm does not provide medical treatment. Your doctors and other licensed providers do. The firm handles car accidents, truck accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and wrongful death. This page focuses on the first steps after a car crash.

Getting Medically Evaluated After a Crash

A medical evaluation after a crash is a health decision you make with your doctor. Some symptoms show up hours or days later. Feeling unhurt at the scene does not settle the question.

Providers you may see include:

• An emergency department or urgent care clinic
• Your primary care doctor
• A doctor you are referred to for a specific problem
• A licensed therapy provider, such as a physical therapist

Chiropractic care, massage, physical therapy and acupuncture come from different providers. Ask your doctor which care fits your symptoms. Choose care from a licensed medical professional.

Waiting weeks to see a doctor is a common mistake. A gap in care can make it harder to connect your symptoms to the crash. Keep every appointment and follow written instructions. Describe every symptom, including headaches, dizziness, numbness, sleep trouble and mood changes. A complete record helps your doctor and anyone reviewing your claim later.

Injuries That May Need Longer-Term Medical Care

Head and spinal cord injuries need prompt evaluation by a doctor. How these injuries affect a person varies widely from one person to the next.

Head trauma can cause headaches, confusion, and changes in memory or mood. The firm handles traumatic brain injury claims, but the medical side belongs with your doctor. Report any new symptoms, even if they seem minor.

Spinal cord injuries affect the nerves that carry signals between the brain and the body. Tell your doctor right away about any numbness, weakness or loss of feeling.

Questions about treatment, daily needs and what comes next belong with your treating physician. Write them down before each visit so you don’t forget them. Bring a family member if you can, so someone else can take notes.

Records and Practical Steps to Keep

Keep one folder for every crash record, medical record and insurance letter. Start with the police report number and the names of anyone who saw 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 later in this guide is the deadline to file a lawsuit, not the deadline to report a crash (Va. Code § 8.01-243).

The Virginia DMV crash records page explains who may submit a crash report and which forms are needed to get crash information.

Other items worth keeping:

• Photos of the scene, both vehicles and any visible injuries
• Names and contact details of witnesses
• Visit summaries and records from each provider
• A log of work missed and the reason for each absence
• A daily note of symptoms and limits, which helps you describe them clearly to your doctor

If a commercial truck is involved, note the carrier’s name and the driver’s employer.

Insurance letters belong in that folder too. You may wish to review any insurer request with a lawyer before you respond.

How Fault Affects the Claim Review

Fault is one of the first questions a lawyer reviews in a crash claim. Virginia’s fault rule can block recovery, so the details matter.

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.

To prepare, write down the sequence of the crash while your memory is fresh. Note what each driver was doing, the road and weather conditions, and any traffic citations. Keep these notes with your other records.

Deadlines to Know: Filing Time Limits

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. You can read the statute at Va. Code § 8.01-243.

Some claims carry notice requirements that run out sooner.

If a crash causes a death, a different rule applies to who files. 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. Family members generally do not file: the personal representative brings the action, except that fetal death actions are brought by the natural mother, or, if she dies or is under a disability, by the administrator of her estate, her guardian, or her personal representative qualified to bring such action, and any recovery is distributed as provided in this article (Va. Code § 8.01-50). The firm handles wrongful death matters.

What the First Review Involves

It helps you understand what information is still missing.

Most evaluations follow these steps:

1. You share the crash date, your injuries, your providers and any insurance letters.
2. A lawyer reviews the facts and the records you bring.
3. The lawyer explains which legal options may apply and which questions remain open.
4. You decide what to do next.

No lawyer can predict how a claim will end, and this process does not promise any result.

Common Questions About Car Accident Treatment and Claims

Where You Are Right Now

Many readers look for answers in the days after a crash. You may be dealing with pain, missed work, medical appointments and calls from an insurance adjuster. That is a lot to manage at once.

Start with the steps that protect your health. See a doctor, keep every record, and write down the dates. Take one question at a time. Medical questions go to your doctor. Legal questions can go to a lawyer when you are ready.