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Virginia
Personal Injury Law
The following summary of Virginia personal injury laws and case types
will help you understand important aspects of injury claims in this
state.
Virginia Statute of Limitations:
General
Personal Injury: 2 years
Medical
Malpractice: 2 years and 1 year if the cause is due to a
foreign object, up to a maximum of ten years from discovery
Product
Liability: 2 years
Wrongful
Death: 3 years
Intentional
Torts: 1 year
Caps on Personal Injury Awards in Virginia:
There is a $350,000 cap on punitive damages in Virginia and a $1.5
million dollar cap on medical malpractice claims.
Virginia Serious Injury Threshold:
There is no serious injury threshold in Virginia.
Virginia is a
Fault state and follows the pure contributory negligence
system meaning that if the injured party is at fault at all, even as
little as 1%, this is a complete bar to recovery. The only exception is
railroad crossing accidents.
Personal Injury Claims & Theories of
Liability in Virginia:
Wrongful
Death Cases: When someone dies as a result of the negligence
of another party, the negligent party may be liable for wrongful death
of the victim. Compensation is limited and depends on if this
is due to a medical malpractice claim or if punitive damages are
involved.
Slip and
Fall Accidents: Property owners are required to maintain
their property in such a way that it is free of known dangerous
conditions. If a property owner knows of a condition and fails to warn
(i.e. electric fence) or there exists a condition that the property
owner would have known about with a reasonable inspection, and an
injury occurs, the property owner may be liable.
Auto
Accident Claims: If an automobile driver is negligent and as
a result of that negligence they injure another person, they will be
liable under a general negligence theory.
Medical Malpractice Claim:
If a patient is injured, it is only medical malpractice if the health
care provider failed to follow the governing standard of care when
providing treatment.
Product
Liability Lawsuits: Products that fail to perform in the way
in which they were designed or products that injure a victim in the
distribution or manufacture thereof give rise to liability as to the
designer, manufacturer or distributor under the strict liability theory
- meaning that the injured party need not prove fault.
Workers'
Compensation Laws: In Virginia, employers must carry workers
compensation insurance, therefore it is a compulsory state. This
protects and covers employee who might be injured while working in the
scope of their employment.
For More
Information Check out these sites:
Attorney General of Virginia
Virginia
State Bar
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