From Charlottesville, Virginia

Covering the state of Virginia, Wilson & Hajek, a personal injury law firm, is centrally located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Francis Hajek is an experienced Virginia personal injury attorney and lawyer who provides aggressive representation and personal service to his clients who have suffered injuries. Since 2007, he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America. www.winjurylaw.com

Monday, July 8, 2013

Texting While Driving - Virginia Law Changes

Virginia law concerning texting while driving has changed. As of July 1, 2013, it is now a primary offense to text while driving. What this means is that if a police officer or state trooper sees you looking down while driving or gazing at a cell phone, they can pull you over to see if you were texting. Previously, the police could not stop you just for a suspicion of texting, there had to be some other traffic offense to justify the stop. The change in the law is probably a reaction to the increased number of accidents involving a distracted driver. I read recently that insurance rates for female teenage drivers are now the same as for male teenage drivers. The reason for the change is that the accident rates for the two groups are now about the same because female teenage drivers are increasingly driving and texting. And, they are having more accidents because of using their cell phones while driving. Personal injury lawyers always explore whether or not the driver who caused the accident was using a cell phone at the time of the accident. It is fairly easy to get the record of cell phone use from the wireless carrier. The penalty for a violation of the ban on texting while driving is $125.00. Francis P. Hajek Wilson & Hajek, LLC, a personal injury law firm Experienced Injury and Accident Lawyers Serving Virginia, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Staunton, Waynesboro, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Buckingham Branch Railroad Employee Injury Claims

I recently settled a case for an injured railroad employee who worked for the Buckingham Branch Railroad at the time of his injury. Interestingly, the Buckingham Branch Railroad is not self insured like the larger Class 1 railroads such as CSX railroad and Norfolk Southern railroad. Instead, the Buckingham Branch Railroad has a hefty deductible in every railroad employee injury case and then its insurance kicks in as necessary to resolve the claim. As a result, a Buckingham Branch railroad employee's claim may be handled by an insurance company adjuster in conjunction with the Buckingham Branch railroad's input. Norfolk Southern railroad and CSX railroad both handle all railroad employee injury claims in house and use a small group of lawyers who specialize in handling railroad employee injury claims that are the subject of the Federal Employer's Liability Act or FELA. I have handled many claims for all of these railroads and know how to resolve successfully a railroad employee's injury case in the shortest amount of time possible. Francis P. Hajek Wilson & Hajek, LLC, a personal injury law firm Experienced Injury and Accident Lawyers Serving Virginia, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Staunton, Waynesboro, Greene, Augusta, Roanoke

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Buckingham Branch Railroad

The Buckingham Branch Railroad is a short line railroad located in Buckingham County. Although it is a short line railroad, its employees are covered by the Federal Employers Liability Act or FELA. The Buckingham Branch Railroad was in the news earlier this year when one of its trains struck and killed a young woman in the Charlottesville area. Employee injuries are generally not reported in the news. A little know fact about the Buckingham Branch Railroad is that it has had a very high injury rate over the years. Fortunately, the injured railroad employees can make a claim against the Buckingham Branch Railroad directly and recover full damages for their injuries. I have handled railroad employee injuries for decades and this is reflected in my listing in Best Lawyers in America. Francis P. Hajek Wilson & Hajek, LLC, a personal injury law firm Experienced Injury and Accident Lawyers Serving Virginia, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Staunton, Waynesboro