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.

Virginia Woman Dies in Horrific Crash With Converted School Bus

A bus accident in Leesburg, Virginia on Sept. 8 first looked to first responders as a relatively simple, single-vehicle event. It appeared that an old school bus, which had been converted into a food truck and painted red, had missed a stop sign and slammed…

By Richard Shapiro

/ 17 Sep 2017

Jury Finds Link Between Talcum Powder, Ovarian Cancer; Awards Victim $417M

On August 21, 2017, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded a 63-year-old California woman $417 million in compensatory and punitive damages in her lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. The plaintiff is currently bedridden and near death from ovarian cancer that she blames on using…

By Richard Shapiro

/ 3 Sep 2017

Virginia Beach DUI Results in 1 Dead and 2 In Prison

Two men were sentenced on Aug. 8 for a two vehicle crash in 2015 that killed one person and injured three others. One of the men will spend seven years in Virginia state prison for DUI manslaughter, DUI maiming, DUI and failure to yield while…

By Eric Washburn

/ 2 Sep 2017

1 Dead, 1 Injured in Virginia 2-Car Crash

The Virginia State Police reported Aug. 24 that an 18-year-old woman died and another woman was injured in a two-vehicle wreck in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. The police stated that a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier was going north on White Oak Road in Dinwiddie County when it…

By Eric Washburn

/ 2 Sep 2017

DUI Suspected in Deadly Willaimsburg Crash

An early AM crash in James City County, Virginia on Aug. 23 killed two people, according to the Virginia State Police. They believe that alcohol was a factor in the fatal accident. The deadly accident killed a 30-year-old male, 17-year-old female, and left a 21-year-old…

By Eric Washburn

/ 2 Sep 2017

Grieving Parents Witness Life-Saving Tractor Trailer Safety Technology

Grieving families witnessed a crash test in Ruckersville, Virginia last week that demonstrated a new tractor trailer safety technology that could save lives. The test was organized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The crash showed the audience on hand a new side underguard…

By Eric Washburn

/ 2 Sep 2017

Virginia Boating Accident Kills 1

A boating accident in Fredericksburg, Virginia on July 2 killed a man and injured two children. According to Virginia news outlets, a 53-year-old man died July 2 when he was ejected from a boat on Lake Anna that swerved to avoid a boat that was…

By Eric Washburn

/ 15 Aug 2017

1 Killed, 2 Injured on Ride At Ohio State Fair

The Ohio State Fair will reopen today, one day after one of its rides fell apart during operation. One man died and seven people were hurt. The rides will not be operational, however, until all of them have been reinspected and are deemed safe. Video…

By Randy Appleton

/ 15 Aug 2017

Florida Rock Band Involved in Serious Truck Crash

The rock band Adrenaline Mob was involved in a fatal tractor trailer accident near Micanopy, Florida on July 14. One member of the band, the bassist, died, while seven others were injured. The Florida State Highway Patrol stated that the crash happened when the band’s…

By Eric Washburn

/ 10 Aug 2017

Maryland and Virgina Inspectors Push Safety After Deadly Fair Accident

It is not clear at this time why a spinning and swinging ride at the Ohio State Fair malfunctioned in July, killing one person and injuring several others. In Virginia and Maryland, safety agencies say that both states have aggressive inspection programs in place to…

By Eric Washburn

/ 10 Aug 2017

Drivers Killed in Crashes Increasingly Found With Opioids in Their Systems

Prescription painkiller abuse and the related resurgence in heroin addiction have reached the point that the recently appointed Presidential Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis on July 31, 2017, felt compelled to call for an immediate declaration of a national emergency. Tak

By Randy Appleton

/ 2 Aug 2017

Virginia Man Charged in Fatal DUI Crash

A man from Powhatan County, Virginia is being held in Roanoke after he was involved in a fatal DUI wreck on July 4 that killed a Georgia woman. The 28-year-old man is being held in the Western Virginia Regional Jail. The charges are reckless driving and…

By Eric Washburn

/ 26 Jul 2017