Salem, Virginia, Personal Injury Lawyer

Suffering a serious personal injury in a car accident, truck accident, slip and fall, defective product failure, or other accident can be expensive as well as life-altering. A personal injury costs the victim medical expenses as well as lost income during their recovery. In a car accident, there are costs to repair or replace a vehicle, as well.

The attorneys at Lichtenstein Law Group PLC assist individuals and families in the Salem, Virginia area who have been harmed by others’ negligence and recklessness. Founding attorney John E. Lichtenstein has successfully resolved hundreds of cases involving serious injury and wrongful death. If you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one in such an accident, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your losses. The statute of limitations in Virginia for filing most personal injury claims is two years. The clock begins ticking from the date you were injured.

Contact our experienced Salem, VA, personal injury lawyers if you have suffered serious harm in an accident that was someone else’s fault. Our injury lawyers in Salem, VA, investigate and prepare each case thoroughly. That careful approach gives us an advantage at the negotiating table and in the courtroom.

For a free case review, contact us today.

What Are the Most Common Types of Personal Injuries?

A serious personal injury can change the victim and his or her family forever. The injured individual suffers not just physically but also emotionally, psychologically, and financially. A family dealing with the new reality of a temporarily or permanently disabled loved one goes through shock, anger, frustration and grief.

The types of personal injury cases that the Salem injury lawyers at the Lichtenstein Law Group most commonly deal with include:

Head and traumatic brain injury: The brain damage caused by a blow to the head can cause loss of physical abilities as well as changes in cognitive functioning. In the most severe cases, the person may be left paralyzed or in a vegetative state. The victim may require assistance with basic daily tasks. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in falls, motorcycle accidents, car and truck accidents, sports accidents, bicycle accidents and in workplace accidents.
Broken bones: Fractures of the hip, pelvis, arms, legs, or other bones can lead to lasting problems with mobility, loss of function and ongoing pain. As we age, our bones take longer to heal from fractures and may not fully heal. Among the elderly, a broken hip may lead to loss of mobility. Broken bones are common in car accidents, pedestrian accidents and other motor vehicle accidents, falls from heights, and workplace accidents.
Spinal cord injury: Catastrophic injuries to the back or neck can damage the spinal cord and leave a person partially or totally paralyzed. These injuries typically occur in car, truck and motorcycle accidents, falls, water sports accidents, and acts of violence, particularly gun shots.
Burn injuries: An individual can be burned by accidents involving open flame, hot liquids, explosion, electricity, toxic chemicals or radiation. Severe burns can damage skin, muscle, bones, and nerves, causing permanent disfigurement and excruciating pain. Burn victims are also at high risk for infections. Burn injuries occur in house fires, day care and other domestic accidents, industrial workplace accidents and motor vehicle accidents.
Internal organ damage: Internal organs are injured by sharp blows, penetrating wounds or crush injuries. Injuries such as collapsed lungs, a ruptured spleen, and damaged kidneys, liver or bowels require emergency surgery and can be fatal. Internal organ damage may result from motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents, workplace accidents, sports injuries and violence.
Amputation: Severe accidents can cause the loss of a body part or serious injury to a limb that ultimately leads to surgical amputation. Accident victims may lose a limb or other body parts in motor vehicle accidents, industrial workplace accidents and from severe burn injuries.
Loss of eyesight or hearing: Any injury that results in the loss of vision or hearing is life-altering. Hearing loss is often a cumulative workplace injury but can also occur because of a single blast of a loud noise, such as due to an explosion or a product malfunction. Loss of eyesight can be caused by penetrating injury, such as a motor vehicle accident.

How Does the Statute of Limitations Affect Personal Injury Claims in Virginia?

Virginia’s civil law imposes a time limit on filing a personal injury lawsuit. In most cases, it is two years from the date of the injury. In others, such as a discovered injury that was not initially apparent, the deadline would be two years from when the injury was discovered or diagnosed.

While two years seems like a long time, it is not necessarily. A personal injury claim requires an investigation of the accident to determine liable parties and investigating liable parties to determine whether they have insurance policies that can be accessed to provide compensation through an injury claim. There is a multi-step process to filing a claim. Most importantly, time is required for the injured to be treated and recover to have a full understanding of the extent of the victim’s injuries and the impacts on his or her life.

It is best to begin the process by contacting a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after a serious accident. At the Lichtenstein Law Group, we do not charge hourly fees in personal injury cases. We do not charge any legal fee unless we recover money for you.

How Is Fault Proven in Virginia Personal Injury Cases?

Our attorneys will need to show by a preponderance of evidence that the defendant was at fault and liable for your injuries to establish a basis for you to receive compensation. Our legal team includes highly experienced trial attorneys. But we settle most cases without a trial by compiling solid evidence and negotiating aggressively with insurers to reach a settlement.

In general, we must be able to demonstrate that:

The defendant was negligent, reckless and/or broke the law and caused an accident or intentional harm
The accident caused your injury

Further, we need to show what compensation the plaintiff is due, which may include money for:

Medical care costs and related expenses
Ongoing and future care costs
Lost wages and benefits
Diminished earning capacity
Other costs and expenses, such as property damage in a car accident
Pain and suffering, mental anguish and inconvenience
Disfigurement or scarring
Wrongful death, when appropriate.

Contact a Salem, VA, Personal Injury Lawyer

The Salem, Virginia, personal injury lawyers of the Lichtenstein Law Group have the experience and dedication to help you in a claim for compensation from an auto accident, workplace accident, defective product injury, other accidental injury or wrongful death. Our thorough preparation of each case gives us the advantage in negotiations and, if necessary, in court.