Northern Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer - Automobile Accidents - Latest Comments

A comment on Hulk Hogan Sues His Lawyers: What consumers need to know about car insurance

Cary White — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:27:21 GMT

Excellent points all to which I would like to add:

- the value of an independent broker - if Terry Bollea's (aka "Hulk Hogan") purchased his insurance from Progressive, it is quite possible that he did so directly without an agent or broker - what recourse would he have against Progressive for underinsurance?

- personal umbrella insurance is very inexpensive and should be considered by any person worth more than $250,000 or earning more than $250,000 annually.

- not all personal umbrella policies are the same, only a select few include coverage for Uninsured Motorists/Underinsured Motorists. All families should consider carrying UM/UIM coverage equal to their Auto/Umbrella limits, or as high as possible - if liability insurance is essential to protect yourself from lawsuits from third parties, it stands to reason that you need to protect yourself from injuries caused by third parties with no insurance or insufficient insurance.

- when was the last time your carefully reviewed your own coverage? - As insurance brokers specializing in providing insurance coverage for lawyers and law firms, many of whom represent victims of automobile accidents, it blows my mind how many fail to procure sufficient insurance to protect their own family in the event of a catastrophic accident.

A comment on Hulk Hogan Sues His Lawyers: What consumers need to know about car insurance

Mike Bryant — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:10:25 GMT

I hadn't heard about this, but amazing that the firm would just miss that little point. It's amazing that a person like Hogan would have so little coverage. Seems with the types of cars they drove on Hogan Knows Best, they got very poor advice from their agent also.

A comment on Which insurance pays in a Virginia car accident

Ben Glass — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:05:51 GMT

Thanks for commenting but you are 100% wrong. There is no $25,000 bonding requirement "in lieu of insurance" in Virginia.

In fact, the process is that you pay a fee of $500 to register an uninsured car. The DMV and Virginia state law is quite clear that this does not provide insurance to anyone and is in no way a bond.

The DMV link with this info is More ...

If you have a link regarding the $25,000 "bond" we'd love to hear about it. Its this sort of misperception about insurance that leads many people to be underinsured.

Again, thanks for commenting.

A comment on Which insurance pays in a Virginia car accident

Virginia Bicycling Federation — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:03:44 GMT

Driving without insurance in Virginia is *not* "perfectly legal." In lieu of insurance, one is required to post a $25,000 bond with the DMV. The result is the same as having the required minimum insurance policy.

A comment on Allstate Decision Leaves Insured's Personal Assets Exposed

Ben Glass — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:35:52 GMT

Two weeks after the verdict, this case settled for $325,000. Congratulations to David Marks for taking the case to trial and getting justice for his client. Allstate paid the entire verdict, paying $75,000 more than what they had in insurance.

A comment on "Move Over" Law Not Being Followed in Virginia

Tony Smith — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:12:49 GMT

I commented on this before, and I said the move over law could cause accidents. I was not aware of the number of troopers killed and injured. It is still my opinion the troopers need to go to the driver's side, or instruct the driver to move to a safe area like the next exit. I have seen the crash videos that show troopers going to the right side of the vehicles and they were able to dodge the car or truck crashing into them. We can't enforce the knuckleheads who aren't paying attention, and if someone hits a trooper(or a motorcyclist) because they "weren't looking" should pay a stiffer fine and jail time. A motor vehicle is a privilege, and those who are not acutely aware of the potential for hurting someone (that includes me as well) should pay the price. Slowing down while driving gives you more time to react to road situations, saves gasoline, and protects you, the public, and troopers. People these days are constantly going ten to fifteen mph faster than the posted limit. Slowing down also decreases the reason for the troopers having to pull us over.

A comment on Injured Students from McLean Bible Church may Need to Look to Own Insurance

mother of a child — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:35:06 GMT

I don't know who Lou is but he certainly does not have any of the facts of the accident correct. This is another posting he has left that is completely false! I have yet to see any published reports that state there was so much heavy equipment that they could not be seated correctly. This was a converted bus to camper. He was NOT speeding and had the utmost regard for the children in the bus. Get your facts straight, he was not charged with "reckless driving" but with improper control. There is a big difference. And who are you to say that McLean has a media rep and is not interested in the boys wefare - it is quite the opposite. Those boys are so strong together now and it is people like you who are causing problems. The church, the parents, and families have been there for one another from the beginning and continue to be to this day. Only someone with an outside agenda would cause these problems.

A comment on Injured Students from McLean Bible Church may Need to Look to Own Insurance

Lou — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Two of the children on the McClean Bible church bus were nearly killed and will suffer life long. Published reports state that there was so much heavy equipment on the bus there was not even enough room on the bus for the children to be seated properly or in an acceptably safe manner.

The actions of the McClean Bible church driver go far beyond irresponsible-not only was the school bus reconfigured the tires were bald the road was straight demonstrating EXTREME SPEED!
How can the driver who put 12 people in the hospital-2 near death under VA law only be charged with reckless driving?
What are the legal options for the victims who may not have insurance? The activity was church sponsored. Why isn't the church legally and monetarily culpable from hour one?
McClean Bible church has a media rep and appears by all reports to be disinterested in the children's welfare. Why aren't church authorized adults who drive other people's children on buses & drive recklessly held to a higher CRIMINAL standard in all States.

Response from Ben Glass:

It may well be that if the facts as you set our are true that the driver will be charged with a more serious offense. Also, remember that there are two things going on here. The first is the state bringing a criminal/traffic charge. The second will be individual civil lawsuits filed on behalf of the children. Depending on the facts, McLean Bible may have financial responsibility and liability here.

Hope this helps.

A comment on Virginia drivers beware: New law places hefty fines on bad drivers

Greg — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 01:22:42 GMT

I think this is a step in the right direction. They really need to start additional fines based on the type of car the offenders drive as well. Pickup trucks, SUVs and semi trucks are the root of most accidents I see on Virginia's highways. The boneheads that drive these things seem to think they have the right to drive like lunatics. Don't believe me? Next time you're on the highway - make note of who's always tailgating and speeding. Most of the time it will be a pickup or SUV.

A comment on Virginia drivers beware: New law places hefty fines on bad drivers

ken — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:12:38 GMT

my licence is clean ... but this law is lunacy ... do we really want to have the most draconian laws in the nation?