Virginia Personal Injury Law Guide

What to verify first in Virginia

Classify the event, potential defendants, and claim type before calculating time. For matters connected to Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, also confirm the correct court and any local filing rule.

Choose the issue

Filing deadline questionsSeparate ordinary injury, death, professional-negligence, and government time limits in Virginia. Wrongful deathCheck claimant authority, estate issues, damages, evidence, and timing in Virginia. Professional negligenceCheck records, experts, pre-suit procedure, discovery, and repose questions in Virginia. Car accidentsCheck fault, coverage, reports, evidence, and filing questions after a Virginia crash.

Facts to organize

Record the exact location, dates, people and entities involved, injury and treatment timeline, insurance information, notices, and documents already signed or received.

Venue and local records

For an event in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk or elsewhere in Virginia, identify the agency that created any report, the court that would hear the matter, and the custodian of short-lived video, logs, or electronic data.

Check the official Virginia sources

These official Virginia sources are the safest starting points for checking statutes, procedure, and insurance questions.

Virginia judiciary — The Virginia judiciary publishes court structure, rules, forms, locations, and opinions.
Virginia legislature or official code — The Virginia legislature or official code portal provides current statutory text and legislative updates.
Virginia insurance regulator — The Virginia insurance regulator publishes consumer and insurer information relevant to many injury claims.

Links checked August 29, 2026. Confirm the current text, effective date, and any local rule before relying on a deadline or procedure.