Motor vehicle accident claims
Most injury claims begin with a collision, and most collisions produce a record that starts degrading immediately. Vehicles get repaired or scrapped. Electronic data gets overwritten. Camera footage gets recycled on a fixed cycle. Witnesses forget. The single most useful thing that happens early in a motor vehicle case is preservation. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. handles motor vehicle claims in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.
Evidence that disappears
Event data recorder information in modern vehicles. Commercial carrier records including hours-of-service logs, maintenance records, telematics and dashcam footage. Traffic and business surveillance video, which is commonly overwritten within days. Roadway evidence and vehicle damage patterns. A preservation demand sent early is inexpensive; reconstructing what a lost record would have shown is not.
Fault rules differ sharply by state
The states in which the firm practices do not share one negligence rule, and the difference can decide whether a claim exists at all. Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia follow contributory negligence principles under which a plaintiff’s own negligence can bar recovery entirely, subject to recognized exceptions. New Jersey and New York apply comparative fault, under which recovery is reduced rather than eliminated. This is not a technicality — the same facts can produce opposite outcomes across a state line, which makes early legal analysis of the collision important.
Dealing with insurers
A recorded statement requested days after a collision, before the full extent of injury is known, is rarely in the injured person’s interest. Neither is an early settlement offer made before the treatment course is understood, because a release is final and cannot be reopened when the injury proves worse than it first appeared. There is no obligation to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer.
Filing deadlines
Every injury claim is governed by a statute of limitations, and the periods differ by state and by claim type. For personal injury actions the period is two years in Virginia under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), accruing at the date of injury; three years in Maryland under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101; three years in the District of Columbia under D.C. Code § 12-301(8); two years in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; and three years in New York under N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5). These are general periods. Discovery rules, tolling for minors and incapacity, claims against government entities — the District imposes a six-month notice-of-claim requirement for claims against the District government — and claim-specific statutes can shorten or extend them. Do not rely on a general period for your own case; have the deadline confirmed on your facts.
Pages in this section
This section covers rear-end and intersection collisions, commercial and rideshare vehicles, hit-and-run and uninsured motorist claims, event data recorder evidence, pedestrian and bicycle collisions and related topics.
Speak with Mr. Sris
Injury claims are governed by filing deadlines that vary by state and by claim type, and evidence degrades quickly. Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Consultations are by appointment.
Last reviewed: August 22, 2026.
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The information on this page is general and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading it or by contacting the firm. Case results depend on a variety of factors unique to each case. Results may vary.
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