Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers

Sometimes, high profile injuries that don’t fit into the usual parameters of a local personal injury case can still provide somewhat of a ‘road map’ for injury victims who need local legal representation.

Several weeks ago, a Daily Progress article covered an accident that occurred late last year, whereby Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe was thrown from a horse during the Christmas season. The article draws attention to the fact that the governor maintained a busy schedule, despite his health issues. Highlights of the governor’s schedule included a Martin Luther King Day speech at Old Dominion University and a joint appearance with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Norfolk State University to oversee the awarding of federal money for cybersecurity.

Injury and Treatment, Locally and Abroad

The newspaper’s jaunty coverage aside, this prominent story does show some of what a personal injury attorney might consider after an accident.

First, in this case, all of the usual third-party responsibilities don’t really apply. For instance, when someone is injured in a foreign country, there are fewer provisions for naming responsible parties because of the complexity of international law and the elements of American law and insurance that just don’t apply globally. Remaining third parties might include travel insurance companies, event planners and others who may have had a hand in making up the governor’s itinerary.

However, what this accident does show is how initial injuries lead to follow-up treatments and manifesting symptoms over time. Although we assume the governor got qualified medical care immediately after the accident in Tanzania, he ended up being treated locally at home, weeks after the fact.

In the same way the governor eventually became a patient in the local medical system, many accident injury victims are released from initial treatment only to end up re-admitted, or at some other provider office much later. In some of these types of trauma cases, symptoms can take weeks or months to manifest and can lead to lifelong conditions that were evident at the time of injury.

So while it may not seem immediately relevant to point to McAuliffe’s recent equestrian accident, in some ways, this is a prime example of the chain of evidence and process for ongoing treatment when local residents are injured due to the many kinds of challenges and safety hazards they face each day.

If you or a family member was involved in an accident in or around Charlottesville, Virginia, or in the central VA area, call the Charlottesville injury lawyers at MartinWren, P.C. Our experienced attorneys know how to work through the local legal system and are dedicated to our clients.  We will keep you informed every step of the way through your case. Let us help you protect your family’s future after an accident.