The tractor trailers which haul so much of the products to stores in Virginia (VA) and throughout the United States are everywhere in our cities and towns, and especially on the major highways like Interstate 64 (I 64), Interstate 95 (I 95), and Interstate 81 (I 81) which are the major arteries in Virginia (VA) headed to neighboring states like North Carolina (NC), West Virginia (WV), Maryland (MD), and the District of Columbia (DC). There are especially a lot of big rigs hauling container boxes in the port cities in Hampton Roads, Virginia, such as Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk. Because of the size of these large vehicles and the weight of the material they often carry, they pose unique risks to other drivers on the road. The danger of a serious injury caused to someone in a car by an eighteen-wheeler is significant, especially if the big rig turns over or loses control striking a car. With all that weight, there are special problems posed by trucks as far as being able to safely operate them, including the brake systems and the proper loading of material to prevent shifting of the cargo.
Federal Motor Carrier Regulations require these large commercial trucks, which cross state lines, to carry minimum insurance coverage. Typically, a commercial transportation company will have at least a million dollars ($1,000,000.00) of insurance coverage on each component of the big rig. This means that the tractor probably has at least a million dollars of insurance coverage on it and usually the trailer, a similar amount. This is true even for smaller companies which haul freight. These rules are a good thing to protect the public because with the big risks of injury and death to other people on the road comes the responsibility to provide insurance in the event somebody is hurt.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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