Motor vehicle collisions
Including crashes on I-264, Virginia Beach Boulevard, Independence Boulevard, and the Oceanfront corridor.
An injury changes the arithmetic of a household before anyone has time to think about the law. The emergency room bill arrives before the first paycheck is missed. An adjuster calls before the swelling goes down.
Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. has represented injured people in Virginia courts since 1997. Virginia Beach matters are handled from the firm's Virginia locations, by appointment.
The firm does not maintain a Virginia Beach location. Virginia Beach injury matters are handled from the firm's Virginia locations; meetings are scheduled by appointment.
Read the detailsMost states apportion fault.
Virginia does not.
Virginia is one of a small number of jurisdictions that still applies contributory negligence. Under this common-law doctrine, a plaintiff whose own negligence contributed to the accident — in any degree, including a single percent — is generally barred from recovering damages. There is no reduction. There is no partial award.
Limited exceptions exist. The last clear chance doctrine can preserve a claim where the defendant had a final opportunity to avoid the harm and did not take it, and particular categories of claim are treated differently by statute. Whether any exception applies is a fact-specific question that cannot be answered from a general description.
This single rule reshapes how an injury claim in Virginia Beach has to be built. An insurer defending a Virginia claim is not arguing about how the loss should be divided; it is looking for any fact that assigns the injured person a fragment of fault, because a fragment can be sufficient.
The practical consequence: evidence that would be merely helpful in a comparative-fault state is often decisive in Virginia. Scene photographs, independent witnesses, vehicle data, surveillance from an adjacent business, and a contemporaneous medical record all carry disproportionate weight — and most of them degrade or disappear within weeks.
Virginia's limitations periods are strict, and courts enforce them without regard to the merits of the underlying injury.
Exceptions, tolling provisions, and shorter notice requirements apply in particular circumstances, including claims against governmental entities and claims involving minors. A limitations analysis depends on facts specific to each matter and should not be drawn from a general description on a website.
Virginia recognises economic losses — medical expenses incurred and anticipated, lost income, and diminished earning capacity — alongside non-economic losses, including pain, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.
They are not available in an ordinary negligence case. Virginia conditions them on specific statutory findings and subjects them to a statutory cap, and they are awarded in a narrow set of circumstances rather than as a supplement to a routine claim.
Including crashes on I-264, Virginia Beach Boulevard, Independence Boulevard, and the Oceanfront corridor.
Where federal motor carrier records and driver logs become part of the evidence.
Fault evidence is developed early, before the scene and the record degrade.
Crosswalk position, sightlines, and witness accounts often decide the claim.
Slip, trip, and fall injuries on commercial and residential property.
Ownership, prior conduct, and control of the animal are examined.
Generally subject to a two-year limitations period from the date of death.
Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and severe burns.
Civil claims arising in Virginia Beach are filed in the courts of the Second Judicial Circuit. Venue, court selection, and the decision whether to demand a jury are strategic choices made on the facts of a particular matter.
Hears claims within the civil jurisdictional limit.
Hears claims above that limit, and any claim tried to a jury.
The firm reviews the incident, the medical record to date, available insurance coverage, and any facts an insurer is likely to use to argue contributory negligence.
Where warranted, the firm seeks police and incident reports, witness statements, photographs, maintenance and inspection records, and third-party video before it is overwritten.
Economic and non-economic losses are documented from the medical record, employment records, and, where relevant, the opinions of treating providers.
Most injury claims resolve without trial. Whether a matter settles, and on what terms, depends on liability evidence, coverage limits, and the medical record.
The firm does not predict outcomes. No description on this page should be read as a forecast of what any individual claim will produce. The client decides whether to accept a settlement.
Attorneys other than Mr. Sris serve as Of Counsel and contract directly with Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. The firm has no attorney employees. Which attorney works on a given matter is determined by jurisdiction, subject matter, and availability at the time of engagement. Individual attorneys are admitted in specific jurisdictions; not all attorneys are licensed in all states.
Mr. Sris founded the practice in 1997. He is a former prosecutor, and that background informs how the practice evaluates evidence, investigative records, and the conduct of opposing parties in matters where a criminal case runs parallel to a civil injury claim — impaired-driving collisions, reckless driving, and hit-and-run among them.
Practices in criminal defense and family law.
Licensed in Colombia. Not admitted in Virginia; Virginia matters are handled by attorneys admitted in Virginia.
Personal injury matters are typically handled on a contingency fee basis: the firm's fee is a percentage of any amount recovered, and no fee is charged if there is no recovery.
Filing fees, records charges, deposition costs, and reviewer or reconstruction fees may be incurred during a case. A client may remain responsible for those costs whether or not the matter results in a recovery. Fee percentages, cost responsibility, and how costs are deducted are set out in a written fee agreement provided before representation begins. Read it, and ask about anything in it that is unclear.
The firm does not offer free consultations. Consultation terms are confirmed when an appointment is scheduled.
Generally, yes. Virginia applies contributory negligence, and a finding that the injured person's own negligence contributed to the accident bars recovery, regardless of how small the contribution. Limited exceptions exist, including the last clear chance doctrine. This is why fault evidence is developed early rather than in response to the insurer's position.
That decision should be made after consulting an attorney. An adjuster for the opposing party is gathering information for that party's benefit, and in a contributory negligence state the wording of an offhand answer can matter later.
Generally two years from the date of injury for a personal injury claim in Virginia, with exceptions. The applicable deadline in any individual matter depends on facts particular to that matter.
Virginia auto policies generally include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Whether that coverage applies, and in what amount, depends on the policy language and the facts of the collision.
Most injury claims resolve without trial. Whether a particular matter is filed or tried depends on the evidence, the insurer's position, and the client's own decision.
No. The firm maintains nine locations — eight across four US states, plus one in Colombia — and none is in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach matters are handled from the firm's Virginia locations, and meetings are scheduled by appointment.
The firm does not offer free consultations. Consultation terms are confirmed when an appointment is scheduled. Call (888) 437-7747 to request a consultation.
To discuss a Virginia Beach personal injury matter, call (888) 437-7747 or complete the contact form. Consultations are scheduled by appointment. Spanish-language assistance is available.
Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Case results depend on a variety of factors unique to each case.
This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information on this site is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Do not act or refrain from acting based on this information without consulting an attorney licensed in the relevant jurisdiction.
Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. · (888) 437-7747