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.

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

2 Killed in West Virginia Crash on I-79

Two people were killed in a two-car vehicle crash on I-79 on June 27 in West Virginia near mile marker 16. According to the West Virginia State Police, a Honda SUV was traveling northbound on I-79 when it crossed the median for an unknown reason…

By Eric Washburn

/ 18 Jul 2017

Segway-Riding Tourists Sometimes Suffer Serious Injuries

A common sight in Washington DC in the summer these days is tourists riding rented Segways to see the sights on and around the Mall. In one recent tour group, a tourist from New Zealand fell on her Segway when she went over a small…

By Randy Appleton

/ 18 Jul 2017

Woman Suffers Serious Injuries on Virginia Waterslide

A woman suffered serious but apparently non-life-threatening injuries on a water park ride at King’s Dominion amusement park in Doswell, Virginia on July 5. According to local media reports, the woman is receiving treatment in Richmond for a broken foot, collar bone and shoulder after riding…

By Randy Appleton

/ 18 Jul 2017

North Carolina Woman Killed in Freak Parade Float Accident

A woman from Charlotte, North Carolina died over the weekend in a freak parade float accident in Lebanon, Illinois. The 33-year-old mother died of injuries she sustained when she was run over by a float at the Lebanon, Illinois Fireman’s Parade. She was immediately transported…

By Eric Washburn

/ 18 Jul 2017

Tennessee Hit and Run Driver Injures Biker, Faces Charges

A biker was injured on July 8 in Franklin, Tennessee on the Natchez Trace Parkway when a private school administrator hit him with his SUV, and kept driving. The serious accident was caught on the Go Pro video camera of another biker. It shows that…

By Eric Washburn

/ 18 Jul 2017

Study: Concern Over How Recalls for Children’s Products Are Handled

The purpose of product recalls is to alert the public about a dangerous or defective product in order for any consumers who purchased that product to either repair or replace that product. Although any defective product can pose hazards, defective children’s products can have especially…

By Randy Appleton

/ 21 Jun 2017

8 Hurt in School Bus Crash in Virginia Beach

Several students are recovering in Virginia Beach after a car hit their school bus on June 13. The bus accident happened at 3:40 PM at Jericho and N. Witchduck roads. A witness to the accident in Virginia Beach stated that a white car was traveling…

By Randy Appleton

/ 21 Jun 2017

West Virginia Nursing Home Sued for Negligence

A man is suing AMFM LLC in Charleston, West Virginia, which is the owner of a nursing home where the man’s wife was a resident in 2015. The lawsuit alleges that Lula Jarvis died in the care of the nursing home as a result of…

By Randy Appleton

/ 16 Jun 2017

More Ignition Locks Urged in MA to Prevent DUI Deaths

Over the last 10 years, in-vehicle breathalyzer devices have prevented at least 31,000 people in Massachusetts from driving drunk, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Around the country, ignition interlock devices that prevent convicted drunk drivers from starting their vehicle when intoxica

By Randy Appleton

/ 16 Jun 2017

Bizarre Kentucky Crash Kills 1

The sheriff’s department in Lincoln County, Kentucky is investigating a bizarre crash on US 150 on May 12 that left a man dead and three injured. The sheriff’s office reported that a truck pulling a camper was going eastbound on the highway when the camper…

By Randy Appleton

/ 8 Jun 2017