The Virginia Personal Injury Blog

An Edinburg, Virginia man, Jose Alberto Sarmiento, is being held without bond on charges that his tractor trailer, big rig, caused an eight-vehicle freeway crash on Interstate 81 near Mt. Jackson, Virginia.

Mr. Sarmiento, 36, faces 3 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths caused by this horrible accident.

Sarmiento’s tractor trailer smashed into vehicles which were stopped or slowed due to a snow storm and killed a 80-year-old woman, a 4-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl – all residents of Edinburg, Va.

This accident is most certainly a tragedy and the families of the victims killed and injured have suffered an immeasurable loss.

In all likelihood, the families will be contacted this week by insurance adjusters who will attempt to persuade them not to retain lawyers and will “pose” as friends of the family members.  Before any family member talks to an insurance adjuster or signs any forms, I recommend reading the Virginia Car Accident Guide , which is a consumer’s guide to understanding injury and wrongful death claims in Virginia.  It will help the families better understand their rights, avoid being taken advantage of by the insurance adjusters and how to select a lawyer to handle these very serious cases.

After reading the Virginia Car Accident Guide, the families of the victims would be well-advised to secure the the services of an experienced Virginia tractor trailer accident lawyer to pursue claims for wrongful death. Such claims compensate victims’ families for the loss of a family member who has been killed because of someone else’s negligence, or, in other words, unreasonable and unsafe driving.

If the driver of the tractor trailer is determined to be at fault (which seems clear in this case), then the victims’ families will be entitled to significant compensation from both the driver and the trucking company.

Related posts:

1. Tractor Trailer Driver’s Inattention Causes Deadly Accident on I-64 in Newport News, Virginia
2. Tragic Accident Claims Lives of 3 Virginia Beach Teenagers
3. Virginia Tech Victims’ Families Offered Settlement by State
4. Trucker Dies in Fire on Virginia Interstate 81
5. Young Man Killed In Tractor Trailer Accident in Garrisonville, Virginia

Tags: insurance adjusters, involuntary manslaughter, vicarious liability, virginia big rig accidents lawyer, virginia personal injury claims, virginia tractor trailer accident lawyer, virginia wrongful death attorney, wrongful death claims