Automobile Accidents

• Teen Faces 10 Years for High Speed Death

  Ben Glass | March 15, 2007 9:28 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  A local teenager, who was 17 at the time of the accident, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter yesterday in Arlington Circuit Court. Apparently, evidence at trial was that she attained speeds in excess of 100 MPH on the George Washington Parkway. One youth was killed and one other very seriously injured.The young driver now faces up to 10 years in the state penitentiary and she's in front...

• CELL PHONE BAN LIKELY IN VIRGINIA

  Ben Glass | March 13, 2007 6:18 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  It looks as though our 16- and 17-year-old drivers in Virginia will soon be prohibited from using cell phones while the vehicle is in motion. The proposed law allows 16- and 17-year-old drivers to use their cell phone in an emergency but they have to pull off the highway and park.Statistics from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Virginia Commonwealth University Transportation Safety...

• Should Jurors Include All of the Medical Bills in Their Award

  Ben Glass | March 13, 2007 2:03 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  A question that sometimes comes up in jury deliberation is whether or not the jury should include as a part of its award the total amount of the injured person's medical bills. Some believe that because these bills may have been covered by insurance that to include them in the award would be a "double recovery."Generally, the law is that the jury should include the entire amount of the medical...

• NORFOLK USED CAR DEALERSHIP HIT BIG FOR FRAUD

  Ben Glass | March 10, 2007 5:47 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  An arbitrator has awarded a woman over $114,000.00 in damages against Checkered Flag Motor Car Company in Norfolk after the woman allegedly told the sales rep that she wanted a one-owner vehicle in her price range that had not been wrecked. The arbitrator found instead that the car had been owned by several owners; had been in a major front-end collision; and it had been repossessed. Attorney...

• Help for Smaller Cases in Virginia

  Ben Glass | March 07, 2007 5:22 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  The Virginia General Assembly has passed two measures designed to reduce the time and cost of pursuing smaller automobile accident cases..In the past, you could file a smaller case (maximum recovery $15,000) in in the Virginia General District Court and use affidavits to prove your medical care and costs. The problem was that defendants, often seeking to make things too expensive, could either...

• Uninsured Motorist Insurance

  Ben Glass | February 19, 2007 10:00 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  Just got finished reading a police accident report in a Virginia car accident case where the defendant, who blasted through a red light, told the investigator that she was "practicing her driving" when her foot mistakenly mashed the accelerator, instead of the brake.She caused massive injuries and guess what? She has minimal insurance.Fortunately, it looks as though our client had the...

• More Protection Against Drunk Drivers

  Ben Glass | February 08, 2007 3:16 PM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  There is an interesting bill percolating in the Virginia General Assembly that would require anyone convicted of drunk driving to have double the mandatory minimum liability insurance in place before being permitted to drive again.You can check this bill out here. If you agree with me that this sounds like a good idea then you should contact your Virginia legislator and give them a piece of your...

• New Allstate Book Should Be a Bestseller

  Ben Glass | January 20, 2007 6:04 PM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  My friend New York personal injury attorney Gary Rosenberg reminded me that there is a great book that has been published for plaintiff's attorneys. From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves purports to expose Allstate and its claims handling practices. Must be a good read, according to Business Week, Allstate tried hard to keep this book from seeing the light of day. In February, a New Mexico state...

• Bill to Ban Cell Phone Use in Virginia

  Ben Glass | January 17, 2007 2:35 PM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  A bill has been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly to ban most cell phone use while driving. Exceptions would be made for emergency use and for hands free devices.House bill 233 Provides that, except in certain emergency situations, the operator of a moving motor vehicle is prohibited from using any wireless communication device unless the device is equipped for hands-free communication...

• Washington, D.C. Subway Derailment

  Ben Glass | January 08, 2007 9:25 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the unfortunate subway train derailment that injured 20 people in Washington, D.C. yesterday. The District of Columbia recently passed "anti-runner" legislation so lawyers and their employees should (unless asked by a victim) not be contacting victims of this subway accident directly.Unfortunately, this means that the insurance...