Auto Accident Injury in Norfolk, VA

If you or a loved one has been involved in an auto accident in Norfolk, understanding your legal rights and the avenues available for recourse is crucial. Navigating the aftermath of a collision can be overwhelming, especially when dealing with injuries, insurance claims, and potential legal actions.

Being informed can make a significant difference in ensuring you receive the compensation and support you deserve. This comprehensive guide will provide you with essential information on what steps to take following an auto accident.

Auto Accident Injury Statistics in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk’s unique geographic and infrastructural characteristics contribute to its traffic dynamics. In 2022, the city recorded 23 fatal crashes, with a significant 57% involving pedestrians. This statistic underscores the vulnerability of non-motorized road users in urban settings. Speeding and alcohol impairment were identified as primary factors in these fatal incidents, highlighting the need for increased awareness and enforcement of traffic safety measures.

Comparatively, the broader Hampton Roads region, which includes Norfolk, has consistently led Virginia metro areas in vehicle crashes. Between 2019 and 2021, the region recorded a fatal crash rate of 1.11 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, marking a 38% increase from the previous decade.

What to Do After an Auto Accident

The moments following a car accident are often a blur of confusion, adrenaline, and uncertainty. Whether the crash happened near the Midtown Tunnel or along Granby Street during rush hour, knowing exactly what to do can make all the difference, both for your safety and for any potential legal claim that follows.

Receive Immediate Medical Attention

Start by assessing injuries. Check yourself, your passengers, and anyone else involved in the crash. If anyone is injured, even slightly, call 911 right away. Emergency services in Norfolk are trained to handle high-traffic incidents efficiently, but delays can happen during peak hours, especially near key arteries like Brambleton Avenue or Military Highway. Even if injuries seem minor or non-existent, it’s still a good idea to get evaluated by a medical professional. Shock and adrenaline can mask symptoms like internal bleeding, whiplash, or concussions for hours—or even days.

File a Police Report

After a car accident, one of the most important things you can do is ensure there’s a formal, legal record of what happened. In Virginia, you are required to report a motor vehicle accident to law enforcement if it results in injury, death, or property damage of $1,500 or more.

If your crash occurs within Norfolk city limits, call 911 to request an officer from the Norfolk Police Department to come to the scene. The responding officer will gather statements, assess damages, and prepare an official accident report.

Once the report is filed, you can request a copy from the Norfolk Police Department’s Central Records Unit. Reports are typically available within a few business days, and you can request them in person at 2500 N. Military Highway or online via CrashDocs.org. Be sure to ask the responding officer for the report number before they leave the scene—this will make the retrieval process much easier.

Gather the Appropriate Documentation

Start with the immediate aftermath. Hopefully, you’ve already exchanged contact and insurance information with the other driver, but if not, follow up as soon as possible. You’ll need their full name, address, driver’s license number, license plate, insurance company, and policy number.

If you took photos or video at the scene, be sure to save them in multiple locations—your phone, cloud storage, or even a USB drive. Images showing vehicle damage, traffic signs, weather, road conditions, and visible injuries will all strengthen your case.

Next, organize any documents related to your medical treatment. This includes hospital discharge papers, physician notes, prescriptions, diagnostic images, and records of follow-up visits or physical therapy. Also, keep a running log of any out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-pays, mileage to medical appointments, and assistive equipment purchases. If you missed time at work, gather pay stubs and ask your employer for a written letter outlining the dates you were out and how it affected your income.

Recovering Damages After an Auto Accident Injury

Virginia law allows car accident victims to seek compensation for both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the easier of the two to calculate. These include the costs you can document with receipts and invoices: emergency room visits, hospital stays, follow-up care, specialist appointments, medications, surgery, assistive devices, physical therapy, and future medical treatment.

Common injuries associated with motor vehicle accidents include:

• Burn injuries
• Back and neck injuries, such as whiplash
• Brain and head injuries
• Broken bones
• Spinal injuries
• Soft tissue injuries

Non-economic damages, while less tangible, are just as important. These cover the pain, suffering, mental anguish, and reduced quality of life that often accompany serious injury. You may be eligible for compensation if you’ve experienced depression, anxiety, PTSD, or chronic pain stemming from the accident.

Auto Accident Laws in Virginia

Liability Laws for Norfolk

Virginia follows a “pure contributory negligence” rule. This means that if you are found to be even 1% at fault for the accident, you may be completely barred from recovering damages from the other party. It’s a harsh standard and one that only a handful of states still use. So, if the other driver’s insurance company can convince a judge or jury that you made a minor mistake—say, you were going a few miles over the speed limit or didn’t signal a lane change—they might try to deny your claim altogether.

In addition to liability rules, Virginia requires all drivers to carry a minimum level of auto insurance:

• $30,000 for bodily injury or death of one person,
• $60,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people,
• $20,000 for property damage.

Statute of Limitations in Norfolk

In the aftermath of a car accident, time might feel like it’s standing still—especially when you’re focused on healing, dealing with insurance paperwork, or trying to get back to work. But legally speaking, the clock starts ticking the moment the crash happens.

In Virginia, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit stemming from a car accident is two years from the date of the accident (Virginia Code § 8.01-243).

That two-year deadline applies to cases involving bodily injury, whether you’re dealing with minor soft tissue injuries or catastrophic harm like spinal trauma or traumatic brain injury. If you try to file after the deadline, your case will almost certainly be dismissed, and you’ll lose the opportunity to recover compensation, even if the facts are fully in your favor. Virginia courts enforce this rule strictly, with very few exceptions.

Work With an Experienced Auto Accident Lawyer Near Norfolk, VA

Recovering from a car accident isn’t just about healing your body—it’s about restoring your peace of mind, protecting your financial stability, and making sure you’re not left to navigate the aftermath alone. In a city as active and complex as Norfolk, where high-traffic zones, military convoys, and heavy commuter routes converge, accidents can happen in an instant—and the legal process that follows can be anything but simple.

After a car accident, you have enough to worry about. We can help you find an auto accident attorney for your unique case. Get the financial restitution that you deserve if you’re the victim of someone else’s conduct.

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in Virginia!

About the Author

Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States.

With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations.