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What Are the Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident in Virginia?5 min read

Stephen Smith

by | May 2, 2023

Car accidents can cause severe physical and emotional pain. Hiring a car accident attorney can help you protect your rights after a crash.

Car accidents are an unfortunate part of using the roads. If you find yourself involved in one, you may be unsure of what to do next. Common mistakes can lead to lengthy lawsuits. The right car accident attorney can help calm the situation and lead you in the right direction, helping you avoid costly litigation.

The car accident attorneys at the Smith Law Center are well-practiced in the field of car accident litigation. Contact us online or by calling (757) 244-7000. Continue reading to learn more about car accident litigation and the mistakes to avoid making.

What Are the Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident?

After a car accident, you may feel helpless and unsure of the next steps to take. Car accidents, DUI accidents, even minor fender benders, can be traumatic experiences. You may be facing the inconvenience of having to have your car repaired or you may have sustained a life-altering injury. The most important thing you can do after any type of car accident is to seek medical treatment. 

Some typical mistakes that people make after car accidents are:

1)   Foregoing medical treatment:

It is important to seek medical treatment after a car accident to check for any underlying injuries. Some injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, are known as invisible injuries because their symptoms aren’t apparent until much later. Car accident injuries should be taken seriously. Additionally, visiting a doctor will create documentation of your injuries. This may be useful evidence for your attorney later on.

2)   Failing to call the police:

After sustaining any sort of vehicle crash, it is important to notify law enforcement immediately. In the state of Virginia, in any accident where an injury occurs or damages exceed $1,000 the police must be notified. A police officer will be able to help you make sense of the situation as well as write an official police report. An official police report will also serve as valuable evidence for your car accident attorney.

3)   Failing to gather relevant evidence:

In the aftermath of a car accident, gathering evidence is probably the furthest thing from your mind. However, you must take note of certain aspects of the scene. If you can, you may want to take photographs of the wreck and surrounding areas. Make sure you obtain an accident report from a police officer. 

A car accident attorney can also help you gather evidence. An experienced attorney will know exactly what type of information is needed to begin building your case.

4)   Admitting guilt:

After an accident, it is important to keep calm. While you should never lie to the police, there are factors that you may be unaware of that may have contributed to your accident. These factors may include weather conditions and the other driver’s actions. Admitting fault in a situation where you do not know all the facts may be problematic for you later.

5)   Failing to contact a lawyer early on:

Contact an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible after a crash. Oftentimes, people who have been involved in car accidents wait too long to contact a car accident lawyer. A car accident lawyer can handle the complicated details of your insurance claim. They will also be able to handle any kind of litigation that may arise out of the accident. If you have sustained a serious injury in a car accident, it is especially important to obtain representation as soon as possible.

Being aware of these avoidable mistakes can help you protect your car accident claim.

A car accident lawyer will know exactly what to do in the aftermath of an accident. The personal injury attorneys at the Smith Law Center specialize in car accident litigation.  They have a long history of obtaining justice for those who have been injured in car accidents. Contact us online or by calling (757) 244-7000 to learn more about car accident litigation and to begin the legal process.

What Can a Car Accident Lawsuit Cover?

A car accident lawsuit may help you recover the finances you need to heal. Sometimes, litigation is the only way to ensure you have what you need to recover your health and property. Injuries sustained during car accidents can include broken bones, whiplash, brain injuries, as well as emotional pain.

An experienced car accident attorney will closely examine your situation and determine the amount of damages that you may be entitled to. Damages are monetary awards by the court intended to make the injured party whole.

Damages in a car accident may include:

 

  • Lost wages and lost income
  • Compensation for medical care
  • Compensation for ongoing medical treatments
  • Compensation for damage to your property
  • Pain and suffering

You may also be awarded punitive damages or damages meant to punish behavior the court finds especially harmful.

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

When pursuing a car accident lawsuit, it is important to consider that law firm’s expertise and experience in handling cases similar to your own.

The attorneys at the Smith Law Center are dedicated to advocating for those injured in car accidents. We have achieved remarkable results for our clients injured in car accidents including a $7.5 million dollar jury verdict for a woman who was injured in a car crash. We have also obtained a $4.75 million dollar award for a woman who sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident.

If you have been injured in a car accident and need guidance, contact our team of car accident attorneys online or by calling (757) 244-7000. We are standing by to help you achieve justice in your case.

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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

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