How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost in VA Fairfax Lawyer
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Virginia is one of 2 states that do not require drivers to purchase car insurance. But instead offers the choice of paying $500 a year for a UMV or an Uninsured Motorist Vehicle to the DMV at the personal risk of the driver which can be quite costly because it does not provide any accidental coverage in-case the driver causes a crash along with having his/her personal assets be taken as compensation to pay any valid claims against him/her.
Therefore, due to realizing the risks of driving uninsured, most motorists in Virginia purchase the Liability Insurance which pays for the costs of damage you caused to others in an accident. Moreover, there are 3 bare minimum liability limits that a motorist in Virginia must carry and they are:
- $20,000 for Property Damage
- $25,000 for Injury or death of 1 individual
- $50,000 for injury or death of 2 or more individuals
Moreover, other insurance coverage in Virginia includes:
- UIM or Underinsured motorist Coverage – this protects you against any injury by a motorist whose Liability Limits is not enough to pay your costs.
- UM or Uninsured Motorists Coverage – this grants you protection for property damage and bodily harm in a hit-and-run driver and uninsured drivers.
Other coverage’s that are optional in Virginia include:
- Med-Pay: this pays for any medical costs and compensates you for loss of income however this only covers a certain amount and not the full costs.
- Collision Coverage: this pays for the physical damages to your car regardless of who caused the accident.
- Comprehensive Coverage: this pays for car damages from water, hail, vandalism, fire among other similar events.
However, regarding car accidents that takes place in Virginia. It is important to keep in mind that Virginia is one of the handful of states that follow the contributory negligence doctrine, meaning that if you are anyway at fault, neither the defendant nor their insurance company have to reimburse you for your losses from a car accident.
On the topic of Legal fees, it is important for you to extensively ask lawyers their prices before you choose them because you may have to cover other expanses (travel expenses and hourly charge among others) besides the standard legal fees(such as cost of obtaining medical records, court filing fees among others) thus keep in mind that prices vary among lawyers. Furthermore, since car accident lawyers in Virginia normally operate on what is called a “Contingent Fee” basis which means that the lawyer receives a percentage of the final settlement only if you are successful. Thus, depending on the severity of the case, a car accident lawyer may charge anywhere from 20% to 45% of the final case settlement. However, on average it is 33%.
Therefore, if you win the lawsuit – depending on the severity of the case will cost the defendant from $70,000 to + $150,000 of which your lawyer can take from $23,000 to $50,000 as part of the contingent fee. Moreover, keep in mind that this final settlement price may increase because in Virginia you are allowed to seek punitive damages for negligent drivers.
If you need a Virginia Car Accident Lawyer to help you with your Car Accident case in Virginia, call us at 888-437-7747. Our Virginia Car Accident Attorneys can help you. C