Posted on December 01, 2016 in Car Accidents

Although Manassas does not typically have harsh winters, the city can definitely be impacted by a winter storm or two. Drivers should learn to anticipate and adapt to the wintry conditions that can seriously affect the driving conditions around the area.

Below are some precautions to take when Old Man Winter is bearing down:

— Reduce speeds in inclement weather conditions. It doesn't require ice to make highways slick — rain and freezing rain can wreak havoc.

— During the winter months, it's especially important to carry an emergency supply kit, fully charged cellphone and working car charger.

— Sometimes accidents occur far from home, so if you are setting out on a winter road trip, let someone know of your plans and route as well as your expected arrival time.

— If you get into a skid, steer in the direction that the front-end should go and take your foot off the gas. It's important to know beforehand if your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. These should never be pumped. It's recommended to brake steadily and smoothly instead.

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 Posted on November 25, 2016 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Could a labor shortage in the trucking industry be contributing to dangerous highway conditions? Some industry insiders have concerns it might.

The dearth of eligible truckers with valid commercial driver's licenses is causing trucking companies to turn to a different demographic group to drive the 19-wheelers needed to move consumer goods and raw material across the United States — senior citizens.

The recruitment efforts of elderly commercial drivers has been unabashedly aggressive, according to an undercover investigation done by CBS News. Approximately 10 percent of the current trucking workforce are older than 65, with recruiters hiring on new drivers in their 70s or 80s, as long as they can still pass the physical. Reportedly, some commercial truckers are older than 90.

While it might give many pause to consider that the driver of the big rig beside them in the fast lane is that old, it is not illegal to hire elderly drivers. If anything, the reverse is true, as age discrimination for employment purposes is prohibited by federal laws.

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 Posted on November 18, 2016 in Car Accidents

If, after a car accident, you are left feeling as if you are being played by the at-fault party's insurance company, you may be justified in feeling that way. There are many tips, tricks and dodges for insurance companies to avoid paying claimants the true value for their claims. Their first priority is not your best interests. It is their company's profit margin.

The first thing to understand is that the insurance company wants to pay you as little as possible, which is why they low-ball their first offer, hoping you will take it. If so, they can close out the file and move on. But there is always room for negotiation when dealing with an insurance company.

Insurance adjusters also use delaying tactics to stall claimants. If they get discouraged and desperate enough, they will likely accept any offer they receive. Denying claims, or parts of claims, is a common trick, too. The adjuster may allege that a claimant is malingering, or that a pre-existing condition is the source of his or her pain instead of the car accident. For a layperson, this can be very difficult to refute. They can wind up being stuck with a pile of unpaid doctor or hospital bills.

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 Posted on November 11, 2016 in Drunk Driving Accidents

When asked to name the holidays most often associated with drunken driving accidents, people usually come up with New Year's Eve or the summer holidays bracketed by Memorial Day and Labor Day, with the 4th of July right in the middle.

While those holidays certainly pose dangers in their own right, so-called "Black Wednesday" is a real danger, too. Otherwise known as Thanksgiving Eve, this 24-hour period has earned the unofficial title of "biggest drinking night of the year."

Law enforcement recognizes the hazard, and has responded with increased patrols by drunk driving task forces and DUI checkpoints. Social responsibility is promoted by companies like Uber that offer free or discounted rides on that night.

So why does this particular night present so many dangers? Below are a few theories.

— Like homing pigeons, everyone heads back for the holidays. Thanksgiving is a day spent mostly with the extended family, but the night preceding it is the optimum time to catch up with old friends at your favorite watering hole.

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 Posted on November 04, 2016 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Being injured in an accident with a commercial vehicle like a company truck can cause extensive injuries that can leave the injured victims out of work for significant lengths of time.

That's enough to place most people in serious financial hot water. But under most circumstances, these commercial vehicles usually have sufficient insurance to cover most costs of accidents caused by at-fault drivers employed by the company. Getting them to pay your claim in full, including covering future medical contingencies, is the tricky part, however.

Many of those injured in collisions with commercial vehicles wind up retaining an attorney to represent them in order to ensure their rights are fully protected at all phases of the claims process. If you choose to do this, it will be helpful to bring the following with you to your initial appointment with the attorney:

1. Information about the vehicle you were in at the time of the wreck. Were you driving or riding with somebody else? What is the make, model and year of the vehicle? If it was your car or truck, were you making payments on it or do you own it unencumbered of liens? Did the insurance company offer to pay for damage from the collision? Do you have pictures of the wrecked vehicle?

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 Posted on October 28, 2016 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Just in time for the upcoming Halloween celebrations, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles issued safety tips for both trick-or-treaters and drivers.

Nobody wants to be responsible for mowing down a group of costumed kids out ringing doorbells for candy. But Halloween is not just a children's celebration, and there will be plenty of adults attending parties and consuming alcohol, too. The important thing is to not get behind the wheel after drinking.

Last year, the state of Virginia recorded 356 Halloween collisions. Of that total, 202 people were injured, and another three died. Two out of three of the fatalities involved alcohol.

The following tips may keep you and your kids out of harm's way this year.

— Don't pass cars on streets where tick-or-treating is taking place.

— Be particularly careful when pulling into and out of driveways.

— Drive well below posted speed limits in residential areas.

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 Posted on October 21, 2016 in Truck Accidents

An accident that occurred earlier this week in Tazewell County in the southwest portion of the state has claimed one life.

The Virginia State Police investigated the fatal collision between a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a logging truck on Oct. 17. According to their report, at about 4:20 in the afternoon, the log truck driver attempted a U-turn by pulling the rig to the right shoulder of Route 460 to finish executing the maneuver.

But while the logger was merging with the eastbound lanes, it pulled into the path of the Grand Cherokee, causing the driver to run into the back of the log truck.

The 68-year-old Jeep driver, a Tazewell resident, was taken by ambulance to Tazewell Community Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries a short time later.

The log truck driver, 31 and also from Tazewell, was unhurt in the collision. He was charged with failing to yield the right-of-way.

Under most circumstances, when rear-end collisions occur, the driver who runs into the vehicle ahead is determined to be liable, as it is assumed that he or she was following too closely to avoid an accident. However, when the vehicle in the front engaged in an illegal maneuver such as a U-turn on a highway, that shifts the liability back onto that driver.

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 Posted on October 14, 2016 in Car Accidents

As we addressed last week, teen drivers face many dangers behind the wheel. In just the past half-decade, teenage drivers had involvement in almost 14,000 fatal collisions. Approximately one-third of those, or over 4,000, involved driving too fast.

Thus far in 2016 in Virginia, 68 percent of teenage driving fatalities were in collisions due to speeding, the Highway Safety Office of the Department of Motor Vehicles' preliminary data indicates.

National Teen Driver Safety Week begins on Oct. 16. AAA reminds parents of the important role they have in helping teens prevent deadly driving mistakes. The Association's manager of public and government affairs announced, "Parents of teen drivers are urged to lead by example each and... to coach teens towards good driving behaviors."

One survey of 142 driving instructors indicated the three primary mistakes by teen drivers were:

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 Posted on October 07, 2016 in Drunk Driving Accidents

It's Homecoming time once again, which means that plenty of inexperienced teenage drivers will be on the roads late at night — and inevitably, some of them will have been drinking.

Underage drinking is a major problem all over the United States. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in any given month, more than 26 percent of those between 12 and 20 drank alcohol, and of that group, over 17 percent engaged in dangerous binge-drinking episodes.

Alcohol is still the most popular substance for teens to use, as 72 percent of high school students have had more than a few sips of an alcoholic beverage by the time they graduate. Even more alarming, 37 percent have drunk alcohol by the time they reach eighth grade.

Parents play vital roles in deterring their teens from underage drinking, and so do their peers. That's why groups like Students Against Destructive Decisions can positively influence teens to make safer, healthier choices when it comes to underage drinking and driving during Homecoming week and always.

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 Posted on September 30, 2016 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Wrongful death cases often are settled out of court, particularly if the defendant realizes that a jury will be very sympathetic to a plaintiff. If your case is headed for settlement, you may be presented with an offer of a structured settlement.

With structured settlements, installment payments are staggered at regular intervals over a predetermined length of time. It could be for as few as five or 10 years or may last for the duration of the life of the plaintiff. These settlements are also useful in personal injury cases with catastrophic injuries that prevent or diminish a plaintiff from working again. If the deceased individual in a wrongful death lawsuit was the breadwinner of a family, a structured settlement can ensure that a family's economic needs will continue to be met, despite the death of their family member.

With structured settlements, insurance companies usually fund annuities that will generate continuous streams of income over the settlement's term. Below are some pros and cons of which plaintiffs should be aware.

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