• mobile
Select Page

 

As one of the most historic cities in the United States, Hampton is a congested city on the Virginia Peninsula. The town sees interstate visitors from all over, including from D.C., Maryland, and the Carolinas.

With increased traffic also comes an increased potential for collisions. Yet, other factors play a large role in contributing to yearly crash rates, including intersections.

Why Intersection Crashes Are Serious

Car accidents that occur in intersections tend to result in serious injuries the majority of the time for one main reason: the point of impact is often the side of the vehicle, which offers the least amount of protection for drivers and passengers. New technology, such as reinforced steel doors and bars is seeking to change this, but occupants are still at risk for sustaining severe injuries.

This is important since many intersection collisions are due to red light violations. Speeders will fly through an intersection at accelerated rates, broadsiding another vehicle crossing the intersection perpendicularly. These are known as T-Bone, angle impact, broadside or side-impact crashes.

Dangerous Intersections in Hampton

In an article by the Daily Press, a list of Hampton’s most dangerous intersections were given with crash numbers over a three year period. They included:

  • W. Pembroke Ave. and N Armistead Ave. – 15 
  • LaSalle Ave. and Settlers Landing Rd. – 17
  • N. Armistead Ave and LaSalle Ave. – 15 
  • Cunningham Ave. and Mercury Blvd. – 14
  • Coliseum Dr. and Mercury Blvd. – 14
  • W. Mercury Blvd. and Power Plant Pkwy. – 21 
  • Magruder Blvd. and Hardy Cash Dr. – 35
  • Big Bethel Rd. and Mercury Blvd. – 16 
  • Big Bethel Rd. and Todds Lane – 19

Big Bethel Ranked One of the Most Dangerous Roads at Intersections

Perhaps as no surprise, Big Bethel Rd. made a national list of the most dangerous intersections in the U.S., according to Business Insider. Crashes are consistently reported along the stretch of highway at multiple intersections, though the highest number of car crashes arguably occurs at Big Bethel Rd. and Hampton Roads Center Parkway.

Hampton Car Accident Rates

According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Hampton recorded 3,242 crashes in 2018. The report notes 11 deaths and 2,735 injuries in the city that year. Hampton has 88,452 licensed drivers and a death rate of 0.12 per 1,000 drivers.

In the same year, neighboring Newport News recorded 3,546 accidents, 17 deaths, and 2,074 injuries. Although Newport News’ death rate was higher, the City of Hampton had a higher car accident injury rate.

Injuries from T-bone Crashes

Because intersection crashes tend to be high impact and strike the thinnest side of a vehicle, the injuries are often severe. However, even low impact intersection car accidents can cause significant damage – both to vehicles and occupants.

Side-impact accidents cause injuries such as:

While this is all severe damage, even minor injuries can disrupt your daily life. Depending on their seriousness, auto accidents can require extended time away from work, high medical costs and a loss of the quality of life. There is also often tremendous emotional distress and in certain cases, trauma leading to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

How a Hampton Car Accident Injury Lawyer Can Help

Although few motorists may choose to deal directly with insurance companies over minor claims, it’s advisable to hire a lawyer to protect your rights if you suffered an injury in a wreck. Not only is it time-consuming, but your health and personal life will also undoubtedly require valuable time and attention. Trusting your case to an experienced car accident attorney greatly relieves the burden of recovering the compensation you are owed after a wreck. 

The Smith Law Center has represented Virginia Peninsula residents since 1949. We are a nationally acclaimed law firm with roots in the Hampton community. Our attorneys have forged reputations as experienced trial lawyers who will take your case all the way to court if necessary. We have won millions of dollars for clients in car, truck, and motorcycle injury cases. 

If you or a loved one has been injured at one of Hampton’s dangerous intersections, please contact us today to learn how we can help at (757) 695-9288.

icon headset

SPEAK TO US NOW FOR FREE

Your legal questions answered, completely free of charge.

icon target

DELIVERING RESULTS SINCE 1949

We are one of Virginia’s largest and most successful law firms.

icon law

IF WE DON’T WIN, YOU DON’T PAY

There are absolutely no out-of-pocket fees for filing a claim.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU


Use the simple form below to send a message directly to our lawyers. We will respond within 1 hour or less during business hours.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

icon headset

SPEAK TO US NOW FOR FREE

Your legal questions answered, completely free of charge.

icon law

IF WE DON’T WIN, YOU DON’T PAY

There are absolutely no out-of-pocket fees for filing a claim.

If you or a relative had a severe reaction to military housing mold, it might be time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Mold is everywhere, and can be dangerous. Researchers have linked mold to serious respiratory illnesses in some individuals.

Smith Law Center may be able to help if a property owner failed to keep you safe from mold in your military housing. We are one of Virginia’s oldest and most successful firms. We know how to hold negligent property owners responsible, especially when the military is involved.

Call us at (757) 244-700 or contact us online to set up a free consultation. There’s no fee for learning more about Virginia mold laws, your rights, and your legal options.

Mold in Military Housing

Black mold in military housing became widely known when Reuters published an investigation in 2018. Since then, the Department of Defense and the housing providers were supposed to take steps to improve the situation.

Unfortunately, a 2020 audit by the DoD Office of Inspector General found many issues, including the need for mold remediation, still persist.

Monetary Awards in Military Housing Toxic Mold Cases

If the property owner lets toxic mold run wild and continue to cause you harm, talk with our toxic mold attorneys about filing a lawsuit.

You may receive financial compensation for:

Service members and their families do not receive different types of damages than civilians. These are civil lawsuits in traditional courts of law.

Military Housing Mold Toxicity Symptoms

The Institute of Medicine discovered there was evidence connecting exposure to indoor mold with:

  • Upper respiratory tract symptoms;
  • Coughing;
  • Wheezing;
  • Asthma symptoms in individuals with asthma; and
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals with weak immune systems.

There is also limited evidence that mold causes respiratory illnesses in healthy children or causes people to develop asthma.

Understanding Exposure to Toxic Mold in Military Housing

The topic of toxic mold is complicated. This Is in part because the term “toxic mold” isn’t accurate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains mold isn’t toxic or poisonous. However, some molds are toxigenic, which means they produce toxins called mycotoxins.

Mold is common in military housing because it’ll grow anywhere there’s moisture. That includes on and inside walls, carpet, upholstery, wallpaper, and heating and air conditioning systems. This is especially pronounced in humid conditions such as those present in Virginia.

Some people have no difficulties around mold, even large infestations in their homes. Other individuals are sensitive to molds, including those that produce mycotoxins. Someone can have a severe reaction when exposed to a large amount of mold indoors.

People may be more likely to experience mold toxicity symptoms if they have:

  • Allergies,
  • An underlying lung disease,
  • Immune suppression,
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder,
  • Asthma, or
  • Another chronic respiratory disease.

Common Types of Military Housing Mold

When you’re trying to learn more from the CDC and other resources, you’ll see the word “fungus” a lot. Mold is a type of fungus, which is something that exists all around us. Fungi are living organisms different from animals, plants, and bacteria. There are over 200,000 types of fungi and over 100,000 types of molds.

If you discovered mold in your military housing, it could be Cladosporium, Penicillium, Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus, or many other types. Stachybotrys is what everyone knows as black mold. Aspergillus is a common indoor fungus, which releases mycotoxins and can cause illness. Your symptoms may resemble common allergy or asthma symptoms.

Who is Liable for Military Housing Mold?

Since 1996, most military housing has come under the management of private companies:

  • Belfour Beatty Communities: Fort Eustis and Fort Story/li>
  • Lincoln Military Housing: Dahlgren, Little Creek, Naval Station Norfolk, Northwest Annex, Oceana, Portsmouth, Quantico, and Yorktown/li>
  • Hunt Military Communities: Fort Lee and Langley AFB

Outside of Virginia, Lendlease and Corvias Military Living are two more housing providers. Together, these five companies formed the Military Housing Association.

Military families living in on-base housing must take their complaints to their private management company — not the military. The company is responsible for providing habitable conditions and making repairs, including mold remediation.

If you’re unsure about your rights, review your state law and local ordinances about mold. In general, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to provide a habitable unit, which means it has to be safe to live in. A unit isn’t safe if it’s causing a tenant health issues due to mold.

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires landlords to disclose if there’s mold in the written report of the move-in inspection. If a tenant discovers visible mold in the unit, then the Act requires the landlord to remove the mold and relocate the tenant until it’s gone at no additional cost to the tenant.

Unfortunately, many families find their housing providers aren’t receptive to complaints. Attorney Stephen M. Smith has handled many mold lawsuits against military housing providers who fail to abide by their lease terms and the law when it comes to mold remediation and other hazards.

Other Hazards in Military Housing

Many service members and their families deal with uncomfortable, if not hazardous, conditions in privatized military housing, including:

Lead Paint: Lead-based paint can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, irritability, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures, organ damage, and in extreme cases, death.

Asbestos: Exposure to asbestos harms a person’s lungs, and can lead to lung fibrosis (scarring), lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Radon: Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It naturally forms underground, however cracks and gaps in buildings lead to over-exposure indoors.

Poor Water Quality: Dozens of military sites have water with detectable levels of harmful chemicals.

Other issues involve rodent or insect infestations, pesticides, and faulty electrical wiring.

What Happens When a Lot of People Get Sick?

Sometimes mold exposure impacts a single individual or family. However, when the mold spreads throughout military housing, it can impact hundreds or thousands of people.

Occasionally, a large enough group of people are injured to allow for a class action or mass tort lawsuit. A class action lawsuit is one where a class representative acts as the plaintiff on behalf of the group of hurt individuals. Not every victim participates in the lawsuit. There are rules about when a group is big and similar enough to create a class action.

Mass tort lawsuits are different. When there are fewer plaintiffs who have their own set of circumstances, each person files a lawsuit. For efficiency’s sake, one or a couple of law firms may represent most plaintiffs, and the lawsuits are consolidated in a federal court.

Call the Military Housing Mold Lawyers at Smith Law Center for Help Right Away

Mold cases come about in a few ways. You or a loved one may start getting sick, and after weeks or months of struggling to find answers, you finally realize your military housing has a mold infestation. In other cases, you struggle with visible mold and then become ill.

Once you connect the illness with the mold, it’s time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Reaching out to an attorney early helps you build a strong compensation claim. We know how to collect evidence, identify who is liable, and craft a successful argument for a settlement or court award.

Attorney Stephen M. Smith has decades of experience handling injury claims and has been internationally recognized for his work. He has litigated cases involving catastrophic injuries and complex legal and scientific issues. In 2019, he was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.

You’re in good hands when you come to Smith Law Center for help. Reach out online or call (757) 244-7000 to schedule your 100% free consultation.

Military Housing Mold Lawsuits: FAQs

icon target

DELIVERING RESULTS SINCE 1949

We are one of Virginia’s largest and most successful law firms.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU - Tablet View

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU


Use the simple form below to send a message directly to our lawyers. We will respond within 1 hour or less during business hours.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.