In the early days of the pandemic, Americans reconnected with an old friend – the bicycle. To stay away from COVID-19 hotspots, people quickly began bicycling to work instead of taking a bus, riding a bike trail instead of exercising inside a gym, and spending…
In Virginia, two possible legal defenses can be raised to defend someone from liability in a lawsuit involving an accident that was caused by an “emergency.” They are known as the sudden emergency and medical emergency doctrines.
Let us start with a hypothetical situation. A passenger is in a vehicle that was being operated by a drunk driver who hits a tree. Suppose that passenger knew that the driver had been drinking and was intoxicated before the crash. In that case, he…
What happens if a dog bites or attacks you and causes an injury? The odds are, unfortunately, higher than you may think. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, more than four million people in the U.S. are bitten by dogs every year. If you are…
The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ensures you, as a citizen, that there are safeguards to enforce government accountability. It allows you to study and analyze how your tax dollars are spent, review decisions made, how conversations are conducted at government meetings
If you’re driving and your cell phone rings, what do you do next? We all know what the right answer is — ignore it until you’ve safely reached your destination — but data shows us that most Americans would pick up the phone. Per the National…
Homeowner’s insurance protects your property after an accident, theft, fire or other natural disasters. In addition to protecting your property, homeowner’s insurance provides coverage to the homeowner and family members for injuries arising from their negligent conduct occurring both on AND off the
Diplomatic immunity is the privilege foreign diplomats receive from the State Department that exempts individuals from certain laws. In the realm of civil personal injury cases, a diplomat recognized as having diplomatic immunity is immune from being a named defendant in a personal injury lawsuit. …
During the time of empires and absolute rulers, a concept of “Crown Immunity” was born. Derived from the saying “the King can do no wrong,” this concept stood for the proposition that you cannot sue the king because, as the saying goes, the king can…
Leaving the house for only essential errands is the new norm for millions of Americans during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. And while a trip to the grocery store, or picking up food from a favorite restaurant is allowed, many people would rather not go out.…
One would expect that if a car hits a pedestrian crossing the street or rear-ends another vehicle, the at-fault driver would be responsible for the damages caused. But what happens if the pedestrian is not in a marked crosswalk or the car that was rear-ended…
It only takes the press of a button on your smartphone to order an Uber, Lyft, or another ridesharing service, but before you grab that next ride, take a few minutes to educate yourself in case an accident occurs. Ridesharing is a rapidly growing industry.…
