Legal

This section highlights updates on Virginia laws, important court rulings, and consumer protection issues. We also analyze how state and local legal developments impact individuals and families. From new legislation to high-profile cases, our goal is to keep readers aware of how the legal system shapes life across Virginia.

AMA Guidelines For Permanent Partial Impairment Ratings Are An Important Piece Of The Personal Injury Puzzle

As a personal injury lawyer, it is important to use the AMA guides to permanent partial impairment to your client’s advantage. AMA is the American Medical Association, which is the primary national professional group for doctors. They publish and periodically revise a book that sets forth how to qua

By Richard Shapiro

/ 4 Apr 2007

Corporations In Injury Cases Often Destroy Evidence

In 18 years of practicing injury law, it has never stopped amazing me how insurance companies and corporate defendants will “lose” or outright destroy important evidence about a personal injury accident. It is often hard to prove that this loss of documents in a personal injury case was intentional.

By Richard Shapiro

/ 3 Apr 2007

Fatal Railroad Crash Caused By Fatigued Crew

The National Transportation Safety Board finally acknowledged in March of 2007 that a overtired transportation crew was the reason for a head on collision of two freight trains in Mississippi almost two years ago that killed four people. This train wreck involved the failure of a crew to comply with

By Richard Shapiro

/ 27 Mar 2007

Coal Train Derails But No one Hurt

On March 19, 2007, a Norfolk Southern coal train derailed in Suffolk, VA. At 2:00 a.m., the train with 4 locomotives was traveling at 40 mph when 37 of the 148 cars left the track. The train wreck left a pile of twisted metal and tons of coal on the ground and cutoff the power to 1,000 customers.Acc

By Richard Shapiro

/ 23 Mar 2007

More Death And Bad Results On The Weekends Was The Result Of A Recent Study Of Hospitals

If you can avoid it, do not be in the hospital over a weekend when the less trained and inexperienced staff are in charge. This warning to avoid medical errors by timing your visits to the hospital is particularly true over holiday weekends like July 4th. The reason is simple in my opinion . All med

By Richard Shapiro

/ 23 Mar 2007

Norfolk Pet Owners Concerned Over Food Recall

Menu Foods, based in Canada, has issued a huge recall of dog and cat food. The recalled pet food may cause kidney failure. It includes over 90 brands of pet food and is the canned and foil packet “cuts and gravy” style food. The FDA reports that 16 pets have died so far.Worried owners around Norfolk

By The Legal Examiner

/ 22 Mar 2007

In Pedestrian Crossing Cases, The Vehicle OperatorIs Not The Person Who Gets Hurt

The human body is not designed to withstand an impact with a car. If you get hit at a crosswalk by an automobile, you are likely going to be seriously hurt. The lightest cars weigh several thousand pounds. Even if the vehicle is moving at a relatively slow speed, it may well break your bones if it h

By Richard Shapiro

/ 22 Mar 2007

Premises Liability or Slip and Fall Cases Are Very Hard to Win in States Like Virginia

In order to successfully recover for injuries caused by the owner or operator of a premises, you have to show that the business was negligent in that they failed to use ordinary care to keep their premises safe and to warn of hidden dangers. However, in Virginia, you also have to show that you, the

By Richard Shapiro

/ 21 Mar 2007

Sleep Deprivation Causes Traffic Accidents

This year, for the first time, the federal government has moved the switch over to daylight savings time into early March. With this change, comes the early arrival of Spring sleep deprivation. Any change can disrupt people’s sleep patterns. When sleep patterns are disrupted, a person operating a ve

By Richard Shapiro

/ 20 Mar 2007

Beauracratic Problems At Veteran's Administration Hospitals Is Not New

The news has been filled lately with problems at VA hospitals and Walter Reed Medical Center in particular. The problems range from decrepit, unsanitary facilities to long waits and beauracractic indifference to injured soldiers. Unfortunately, this was not news to me as a lawyer working on cases fo

By Richard Shapiro

/ 19 Mar 2007

Ski Injuries Can Be Severe

Skiing is a fun winter-time sport that the whole family can participate in. However, skiing injuries can be permanently disabling. The use of helmets while skiing has greatly improved safety on the ski slopes. Skiers often collide with each other and fixed objects like trees. If you have a helmet on

By Richard Shapiro

/ 16 Mar 2007

Teen Driven Cars – A Dangerous But Inevitable Combination

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for 18 to 20 year old people in America. About 5,500 deaths and 450,000 injuries occur each year involving teen driving.Wrecks involving teens are probably most attributable to inexperience and judgment errors caused by not having enough time behind

By Richard Shapiro

/ 1 Mar 2007