Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers Can't Loan Money

Virginia personal injury lawyers and attorneys can't loan money to their injury clients. To do so is a serious ethical violation and can subject the Virginia personal injury lawyer and attorney to a loss of his or her license. So what does a Virginia personal injury lawyer and attorney do when the injury client says that he or she is going to borrow money because of desperate times created by the injury. I think the attorney should counsel against the loan and try to see if there are other sources of funds for the client. Maybe a family member will help out. Maybe there is a possibility of a bank loan at a reasonable interest rate. If all of these options fail, the attorney should help the client avoid the lenders who charge truly excessive rates of interest. 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, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News

Child Traffic Accident Deaths Decrease

Recent headlines announced that child car accident deaths decreased by 43% over the last decade. The decrease was attributed to increased use of seat belts and car seats. While it is good news, it underscores the increase in car accidents for teens and inexperienced drivers who are increasingly driving while distracted. Recent changes in Virginia law have made it a primary offense to text while driving. However, enforcement can only be random and sporadic, just as it is for speed limits. The odds of being pulled over for any traffic offense are incredibly low. So if we are to see a decrease in the teen car accident rate, there must be a change in the culture and a recognition by teens that such behavior is incredibly risky. To that end, parents must set the example and avoid talking on the cell phone while driving. I realize that it is unpopular to suggest that we don't answer the ringing cell phone while driving, bu tit is risky driving behavior. Most studies that have looked at talking on the cell phone while driving equate it to driving after having two or three drinks of an alcoholic beverage. But most of us will say that we can drive safely while talking on the cell phone, particularly if we are using a hands free device. Well, most of us are just wrong and science proves it. So if you want your children to drive safely, set a good example. Don't speed and don't talk on the cell phone while driving. 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, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News

Snow And Ice Cause Virginia Car Accidents

Snow and ice snarled traffic and caused a slew of car accidents across Virginia. When a car or truck accident involves weather conditions, who is at fault? This question can have significant implications if you are an injury victim as result of a car or truck accident in Virginia. Many times, the party who caused the accident will claim that it was an "Act of God" since the weather conditions were a contributing factor to the auto accident. In such cases, all of the facts must be examined to see if the accident was caused by negligence or if it happened because of unanticipated conditions that were not the result of anyone's negligence. An auto accident involving "black ice" is one of the most difficult auto accident cases. The driver who slid on the black ice will claim that he or she did nothing wrong and that the accident could not have been avoided. As an experienced Virginia personal injury attorney, I like to investigate such claims as soon as possible. In today's modern technology oriented world, one of the first things to look at is whether or not the driver was using a smart phone at the time of the accident. Cell phone use records can be obtained form the wireless carrier and then we can see if the driver was distracted. So don't assume that there is no claim for a personal injury in Virginia when snow or ice conditions are involved in a car accident. 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, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News

Railroad Accident Involving Transport Of Oil

Recently, there have been several significant railroad accidents involving the transportation of oil by rail. Increased domestic production and importation of oil from Canada account for the dramatic increase in the use of railroad transportation of oil and petroleum products. Transportation of hazardous chemicals by rail has always been an area where there is the potential for some type of disaster. A good example of the extreme hazards that can be posed by a chemical spill due to a railroad accident is what happened to the small South Carolina town of Graniteville some years ago. A train derailed and chlorine gas escaped from a tank car. The town was devastated and several people died. The recent disaster in Canada involving exploding rail cars was just as disastrous. Such incidents are not once in a century disasters and if one were to happen in a larger metropolitan area, the consequences will be dire. Oil and chemical cars routinely travel through major metropolitan areas. A chlorine gas leak in Richmond, Virginia would be a Graniteville disaster times one hundred. 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, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, , Hampton, Newport News

Icy Roads Close Virginia Schools

Cold temperatures and icy roads closed local schools for a second day in the Charlottesville Albemarle area. Although primary roads are largely clear, secondary roads still have snow and ice present which can create difficult driving conditions. A lot of car accidents happen after a snow storm has passed and drivers think that there is no longer any reason to be more cautious in driving. I think that the school authorities were wise to keep inexperienced drivers off the road in the early morning hours by cancelling school or delaying the start of the school day.Snow and ice on the roads can result in car accidents and those types of cases are challenging for lawyers and insurance companies. Recovery in a car accident case is premised on the negligence of the driver who caused the accident. Is losing control of a car because of ice just an act of nature or god such that it excuses the driver? The lawyer representing the injury victim in a personal injury case in Virginia has to make the case that the driver did not act reasonably or prudently as would any other driver in the face of icy and snow covered roads. But what if all the facts indicate that the driver was being careful and just happened upon a patch of black ice in an otherwise clear road? Is that driver still responsible for the accident? An experienced personal injury lawyer will want to know all the facts before making a judgment. For instance, how did the driver react after the ice caused problems? Was it really a patch of invisible black ice that caused the accident? It is helpful to be able to begin an investigation of such accidents as soon as possible after the accident happened. If you have questions about a personal injury case involving a car accident caused by ice or snow, call me to go over the facts and see if a recovery is 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, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News

Car Accidents and Distracted Driving in Virginia

Virginia Tech researchers have published a study concerning inexperienced drivers and cellphone use. The study looked at 42 newly licensed teenage drivers and 167 adults with driving experience. The results are disturbing, but they also help to explain why new drivers have a higher accident rate, a fact that I have experienced as the parent of several teenage drivers and also as a personal injury lawyer in Virginia who has represented injury victims. Using sophisticated equipment such as accelerometers,global positioning devices and other sensors, the study looked at how the driver reacted when reaching for objects, including cellphones, using the radio and other car equipment, and eating and drinking. The study found that the new teenage driver was three times more likely to crash while eating and four times more likely to crash while texting. Dialing a cellphone increased the risk of a crash or near crash by more than 700 percent. For the experienced drivers, only the behavior of dialing a cellphone significantly increased the risk of an accident. The ultimate conclusion of the study is that teenage drivers need to focus on driving with their eyes looking ahead and they need to avoid any distractions in the car. When I have a significant serious personal injury case, I am always concerned that the other driver was using a cellphone when the accident occurred. If possible, I obtain the cellphone records of the other driver. If you are in an auto accident and cellphone use is suspected as a cause, it is important to note the exact time of the accident if possible. If you have been in an accident and would like to discuss your options, please call me. 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, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News

Car Accident Deaths Decline in 2013

AAA reports that car accident deaths declined in many states in 2013 to levels not seen since the 1940s. Texas and Illinois bucked the trend and saw an increase in accident deaths. AAA believes the decline in car accident deaths can be attributed to safer cars, safer roads and more educated drivers. Interestingly, the decline comes at a time when there is record car ownership. In 1980 there were 161 million registered cars. Today, there are over 250 million registered cars. I think there are still a lot of problem areas for drivers. The use of technology while driving is causing an increase in distracted driver accidents. I represent several car accident victims where the at fault driver was using a smart phone at the time of the accident. 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, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News