Automobile Accidents

• Intoxicated Driver Kills Passenger in Norfolk, Virginia (VA)

  Rick Shapiro | May 29, 2007 1:13 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  According to published reports in the Virginian Pilot newspaper on May 18, 2007 a Marine is being charged with drunken driving associated with a car crash that killed a Navy woman. The wreck happened in Norfolk, Virginia (VA) around 2:00 A.M. The 26 year old driver was charged with driving under the influence. This at fault driver ran off a ramp of the highway and hit a tree killing one of his...

• Virginia's Eastern Shore Highway Death Rates Remain High

  Rick Shapiro | May 22, 2007 5:06 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  By Randy Appleton, HSCLA AttorneyIndividuals who have suffered severe personal injuries and wrongful death on Virginia's Eastern Shore (as well as their family members) often travel on Route 13 over the 17 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel spanning the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, south to the "mainland" area of Virginia. The Bridge Tunnel geographically links the finger of land called the...

• Recent DUI Wreck In Virginia Beach Sets Off National Immigration Firestorm-Fox News Stirs Controversy

  Rick Shapiro | April 11, 2007 6:29 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  There has been outrage in the local communities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk and other surrounding Virginia and North Carolina communities over the alleged drunk driving of an illegal immigrant who killed two innocent teenagers who were sitting at a red light in Virginia Beach on the night of March 30, 2007.Alfred Ramos, 22, who is an illegal alien from Mexico, was previously convicted of driving...

• Cell Phones Continue to Cause Alarming Numbers of Car Accidents

  Rick Shapiro | February 05, 2007 7:42 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  I have previously written about the growing number of motor vehicle crashes nationwide in which cell phone use is a substantial contributing factor. As a matter of fact, as I drive my car locally and arrive at any red light, and look around, I usually see the majority of the surrounding drivers talking on a cell phone, whether held to one ear, spaeakerphone, or via use of...

• Are Damages Recovered In A Personal Injury Case Taxable When Paid?

  Rick Shapiro | September 20, 2006 6:59 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  We are often asked by our clients if the proceeds or damages from a personal injury case settlement are taxable. The general answer is that personal injury settlement proceeds are not taxable on their receipt by the taxpayer/client. There are some important exceptions.It is fair to say that a general settlement (where the proceeds are not specifically categorized) is not taxed on the...

• New Rules On Black Boxes In Cars Enacted

  Rick Shapiro | September 19, 2006 9:59 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  Car manufacturers will be required to tell new car buyers when their car is equipped with a black box or "event data recorder" under new regulations issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The formal description for the black box is "event data recorder" -which is any electronic devices that capture crash or collision data, in the seconds before, during and after...

• Motorcycle Safety Update: Some New Motorcycles May Include Airbags

  Rick Shapiro | September 19, 2006 6:59 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  Honda Motor Company recently announced that it is going to offer an airbag on one of its expensive Honda Gold Wing motorcycles for the next model year. Likewise, Yamaha Motor Corporation is developing an airbag system and is using a scooter with the airbags to research and develop the potential product, according to Yamaha's website. Can motoycycle airbags really prevent significant crash...

• Optional "Medical Expense" Auto Insurance-Why Its Good Coverage To Get

  Rick Shapiro | September 09, 2006 8:22 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  Many states, including Virginia, allow insurance agents to offer optional "medical expense benefits" along with a standard auto insurance policy. This coverage ("med pay" for short) provides for payment of 100% of any medical bills (up to the coverage amount, usually 1,000 to 10,000 dollars per covered vehicle) arising from a car crash/collision involving personal injury to the insured, or...

• Virginia's Unfair Punitive Damages Cap Penalizes Families

  John Cooper | August 03, 2006 12:02 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  BY JOHN M. COOPER, HSCLA ATTORNEYLast December a teenager from Chesapeake, VA was killed in a hit and run wreck. The young man was a senior in high school riding his bike. The driver, who was in his 60s, hit the young man and sped away. Now a lawsuit has been filed to try to get compensatory damages for the family for the loss of this young man. The at-fault driver was taking a medication...

• Standing Her Ground Pays Off Against Allstate

  Rick Shapiro | July 22, 2006 4:33 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  By James C. Lewis, HSCLA Attorney One of the clients of our firm was recently involved in an automobile collision which resulted in personal injuries to her. She had the nerve to stand her ground against Allstate's low and unfair offer--and we achieved a nice victory for her. The careless defendant ran a red light and crossed out in the road in front of her. She was unable to avoid colliding...