Motorcycle accident

Motorcycle Accident Attorneys in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia 5 firms 5 min read

The firms in this guide

  1. Montagna Law Call Montagna Law: 757-622-8100
  2. The Joel Bieber Firm Call The Joel Bieber Firm: (757) 821-6318
  3. Motorcycle Law Group Call Motorcycle Law Group: 757-595-7505
  4. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers: (757) 455-0077
  5. Pender & Coward Call Pender & Coward: (757) 259-5000

1. Montagna Law

Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, personal injury

Case Types Handled: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, other Virginia and northeastern North Carolina personal injury claims

Legal Services: Free consultation, personal injury claims in Virginia and in North Carolina counties including Currituck and Pasquotank

Background: Montagna Law is a Virginia personal injury firm with an office on Columbus Street in Virginia Beach. Its attorneys include Jon Montagna and Anthony Montagna III.

Location: 1 Columbus St, Suite 600, Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Contact: 757-622-8100 | https://montagnalaw.com/

Consultation: Free consultation


2. The Joel Bieber Firm

Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, wrongful death, traumatic brain injury, premises liability

Case Types Handled: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, dog bites, slip and fall accidents, burn and electrocution injuries, wrongful death

Legal Services: Free consultation, virtual consultations, a case value tool, personal injury claims

Background: The Joel Bieber Firm is a Virginia personal injury firm with offices in Richmond and on Bendix Road in Virginia Beach.

Location: 272 Bendix Road, Ste. 350, Virginia Beach, VA 23452

Contact: (757) 821-6318 | https://joelbieber.com/

Consultation: Free consultation


3. Motorcycle Law Group

Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents and rider injury claims

Case Types Handled: Motorcycle crashes and injuries to riders and passengers in Hampton Roads, including Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake

Legal Services: Motorcycle accident claims under contingency fee agreements, representation of injured riders and their families

Background: Motorcycle Law Group calls itself The Firm That Rides, and its attorneys all ride motorcycles. It serves Virginia Beach and the rest of Hampton Roads from its Newport News office, with additional offices in Richmond and Roanoke.

Location: 763 J Clyde Morris Blvd., Suite 1-D, Newport News, VA 23601 (serves Virginia Beach)

Contact: 757-595-7505 | https://motorcyclelawgroup.com/locations/newport-news-va/

Consultation: Contingency fee (no fee unless the client wins)


4. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers

Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, personal injury, car accidents, truck accidents, wrongful death, brain injuries, nursing home abuse

Case Types Handled: Left-turn motorcycle accidents, intersection collisions, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, lane change accidents, drunk driver accidents, distracted driver accidents, hit-and-run accidents, wrongful death motorcycle cases

Legal Services: Negligence investigation, accident reconstruction, evidence preservation, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, medical expert coordination

Background: Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers serves motorcycle accident victims in Virginia Beach and throughout the Hampton Roads region. The firm focuses on personal injury cases and has a strong track record of securing favorable outcomes for injured riders.

Location: 5041 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 150, Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Contact: (757) 455-0077 | https://www.cooperhurley.com

Consultation: Free consultation available


5. Pender & Coward

Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, personal injury, car accidents, truck accidents, wrongful death, maritime law, medical malpractice

Case Types Handled: Left-turn motorcycle accidents, intersection collisions, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, lane change accidents, drunk driver accidents, distracted driver accidents, wrongful death motorcycle cases

Legal Services: Negligence investigation, accident reconstruction, evidence preservation, witness interviews, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations

Background: Pender & Coward is a Virginia Beach-based law firm with extensive experience representing motorcycle accident victims. The firm provides comprehensive legal services and fights to secure maximum compensation for injured clients.

Location: 222 Central Park Avenue, Suite 400, Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Contact: (757) 259-5000 | https://www.pendercoward.com

Consultation: Free consultation available


Helmet Rules in Court, Insurance Minimums and Death Claims for Virginia Beach Motorcycle Crashes

A Virginia Beach motorcycle crash claim can raise how Virginia treats a missing helmet in a civil case, what liability coverage the other driver must carry, and what a family recovers and how it is shared when a rider dies. A separate statute caps punitive damages.

Helmets in a Civil Case

Under Virginia Code 46.2-910(A), operators and passengers must wear protective helmets meeting Snell Memorial Foundation, ANSI or federal Department of Transportation standards, and operators must wear eye protection or have safety glass or a windshield. The same subsection provides that failure to wear a face shield, safety glasses, goggles or a protective helmet is not negligence per se in any civil proceeding.

Liability Minimums

Under Virginia Code 46.2-472(B), owner’s policies effective on or after January 1, 2025 must carry at least $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person, $100,000 for two or more persons and $25,000 for property damage in one accident.

When a Rider Dies

Under Virginia Code 8.01-52, damages may include sorrow, mental anguish and solace, the reasonably expected loss of income and services, care and treatment expenses, reasonable funeral expenses, and punitive damages for willful or wanton conduct or recklessness showing conscious disregard for others’ safety. Under 8.01-53(A), the award goes first to the surviving spouse, children and children of a deceased child, with parents included if, within 12 months before the death, they regularly received support or services from the decedent for necessaries.

Punitive Damages

Under Virginia Code 8.01-38.1, total punitive damages against all defendants may not exceed $350,000; the jury is not told of the limit, and the judge reduces a larger verdict.


Virginia Beach Motorcycle Accident Questions

What if the driver says the rider was partly at fault?

That defense can end the claim. The Supreme Court of Virginia held in O’Neill v. Windshire-Copeland Associates (2004) that contributory negligence is available as a defense even when the defendant’s code violation was negligence per se, answering in the affirmative whether it is a complete defense. Ask counsel how the facts of the crash bear on the defense.

How long do I have to sue?

Two years after the cause of action accrues for personal injury under Virginia Code 8.01-243(A), and two years after the death for a wrongful death action by the personal representative under 8.01-244(B). A negligence claim against the City of Virginia Beach is barred under Virginia Code 15.2-209 unless a written statement with the time and place of the injury is filed with the city attorney, chief executive or mayor within six months after accrual, or one of them or the city’s insurer had actual knowledge of the claim within that time; the section does not change the city’s sovereign immunity.

Does my policy cover an uninsured driver?

Yes. Under Virginia Code 38.2-2206(A), a motor vehicle liability policy must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, at limits equal to the liability limits unless a named insured rejects the additional coverage above the 46.2-472 minimums.

What must a driver who hits a rider do?

Under Virginia Code 46.2-894, stop as close to the scene as possible, report name, address, driver’s license number and vehicle registration number to the police and to the injured person, and render reasonable assistance; a violation is a Class 5 felony when the accident causes injury or death.