You may be dealing with pain, missed work, and an insurance company that’s already decided how little it thinks your case is worth. It’s a difficult time, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Rutter Mills has been fighting and winning vehicle accident cases in Hampton Roads for 65 years.
Call or text 757-777-7777.
The moment your accident was reported, the insurance company opened a file, assigned an adjuster and put their legal team on notice. They have investigators and years of experience doing this. You probably don’t, and that’s the gap they’re counting on.
Virginia’s contributory negligence rule raises the stakes further. If the insurer can show you were even partially at fault, they may owe you nothing. Talk to a Virginia Beach car accident lawyer before you say anything on record.
“We’ve spent more than 65 years going up against insurance companies. We know exactly what they’re trying to do, and we know how to stop them.” — C. Arthur “Brother” Rutter III, Managing Partner
Virginia Beach roads see thousands of crashes every year. Some of the most dangerous stretches include Independence Boulevard, Virginia Beach Boulevard, and Indian River Road, where speeding, high traffic volume, and poor intersection design have made them hotspots for serious accidents. In 2024, there were:
Insurers price their offers based on whether a firm will actually go to trial. Rutter Mills has taken cases to court that other firms would have settled.
Plaintiffs win 61-64% of car accident trials, one of the highest success rates among personal injury case types.
Police reports, witness statements, and surveillance footage don’t last forever. We start collecting evidence as soon as you call, before it’s gone.
VDOT traffic cameras don’t record, so nearby business, dashcam, and doorbell footage is often the only real record of what happened.
Instead of negotiating off the insurance company’s first offer, we build the full picture of what your claim is worth. Then, we negotiate from there.
Car accident victims who hire a lawyer get 450% more from the insurance company than people who file themselves.
CASE RESULTS
Rutter Mills has represented injured Virginians since 1959. We’re not a national call center with a local number. We’re your neighbors.
Most firms settle because they can’t afford to litigate. Rutter Mills can. Insurers know it, and it changes what they put on the table.
Some of our attorneys came from the other side. They know exactly how insurers evaluate claims and where they look for weaknesses.
Medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, future expenses, property damage. In the most serious cases, we fight for everything available to you.
Free consultation. Nothing upfront. If we don’t recover for you, you pay nothing. We take on the financial risk so you don’t have to.
No two accidents are the same. Rutter Mills handles the full range of cases across Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads, from minor collisions to catastrophic injuries.
“Rutter Mills is one of the top personal injury attorney firms in Coastal Virginia. I didn’t contact them when I had my traumatic & life changing car injury in 2014. I wish I had … Should I ever have the need for a personal injury attorney firm again, I would certainly retain Rutter Mills.” — Carol S., Virginia Beach, VA (Yelp)
“This law firm is top notch. Super involved, great communication, they have amazing empathy and you can tell how much they invest in their clients. Definitely recommend using Rutter Mills!” — Brandi H., Virginia Beach, VA (Yelp)
You don’t get a second chance at this. The decisions you make in the days after an accident, including who you hire, shape everything that follows. Here’s what to look for:
Do they go to trial? In Virginia Beach, a firm that only settles cases with insurance companies gets lower offers. Insurers know who will walk into a courtroom.
Do they know Virginia law? Contributory negligence and Virginia’s unique insurance laws create traps that national firms miss. We’ve been winning cases in Virginia Beach courts for over 65 years.
Have they handled serious cases before? Severe car accident injuries in Virginia courts require financial resources and a real track record of success. Rutter Mills are experts at complex cases like commercial truck accidents and serious injury cases.
Do former insurance defense lawyers work there? Attorneys who came from that side know exactly how local insurance claims get evaluated. They use that knowledge to build a case that will beat them at their own game.
What do Virginia Beach clients say? Look for reviews from local clients with real outcomes in Hampton Roads, not generic ratings from across the country.
A car accident lawyer handles everything the insurance company wants you to handle alone. That means investigating the accident, preserving evidence, calculating the true value of your claim, negotiating with adjusters, and taking the case to trial if the offer isn’t fair. At Rutter Mills, we also track deadlines, manage liens, and keep you informed at every step so you can focus on recovering.
If you’re able: call 911, seek medical attention right away, document the scene, and do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company before speaking with a lawyer. The accident report and police reports filed at the scene can be critical to your case later. The sooner you call Rutter Mills, the sooner we can start preserving evidence before it disappears.
Review the do’s and don’ts after a car accident in Virginia Beach.
Virginia’s contributory negligence rule means that any fault on your part can be used to deny your claim entirely. This is one of the most important reasons to speak with a Virginia Beach car accident attorney before you say anything to any insurance company, including your own. What feels like a straightforward situation often isn’t, and insurance adjusters are trained to find fault where you may not see it.
Two years from the date of the accident under Virginia’s statute of limitations. Some situations, including cases involving government vehicles or uninsured drivers, may have different deadlines. When you’re focused on your recovery, it’s easy to lose track of where you are in that window. We track that deadline for every client so nothing slips.
There are two categories. Economic damages cover your measurable financial losses, such as medical bills, future medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and property damage. Non-economic damages cover what’s harder to put a number on. That includes pain and suffering, emotional distress, and a diminished quality of life. If the injury is serious or fatal, a spouse or family member may also be able to recover for loss of consortium, the loss of support, companionship, or intimacy that resulted from the injury. Virginia doesn’t cap non-economic damages in car accident cases, which means the full human cost of your injuries can be pursued. In cases involving particularly egregious conduct, such as drunk driving, punitive damages may also apply. Your Rutter Mills attorney will calculate both categories before any settlement is discussed.
It depends on the complexity of your case, the length of time you need for medical treatment, and whether it settles or goes to trial. Cases with clear liability can often be resolved in a few months. Cases involving serious injuries, disputed fault, or uncooperative insurers often take longer. At Rutter Mills, we don’t push for a fast settlement at the expense of a fair one. We move as quickly as the case allows and keep you informed at every step. Our team will offer you our expert opinion and let you decide what you think is fair.
In February 2022, a large insurance company refused to entertain any settlement offers. Unwilling to backdown, our car accident lawyer Georgina Montgomery, received a $650,000 verdict for our client after just 20 minutes. That is the kind of difference a skilled trial lawyer can make in your case.
Virginia requires drivers to carry at least $50,000 in liability coverage per person, $100,000 per accident involving multiple injuries, and $25,000 for property damage. These limits took effect for all policies on or after January 1, 2025, up from the previous minimums of $30,000, $60,000, and $20,000. This matters for your case because the at-fault driver’s policy limits affect the maximum available recovery. Virginia Code § 46.2-472 has the full requirements.
Most car accident claims settle before trial. Once the facts are clear and both sides understand what the case is worth, insurance companies typically prefer to negotiate rather than go to court. That said, if the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement, Rutter Mills is fully prepared to take your case to trial. Insurers know which firms will actually walk into a courtroom, and that reputation changes what they’re willing to offer before it ever gets that far.
Some of the most common injuries we see include whiplash and other soft tissue injuries, herniated discs, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. Some injuries, like whiplash or a concussion, may not show symptoms right away, which is one reason seeking medical attention quickly after a crash matters, both for your health and for your claim.
ACTUAL GOOGLE REVIEWS
Years Helping Virginia Beach Car Accident Victims
Convenient Offices in Hampton Roads
Team Members Ready to Help
Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation
Our team is ready to listen day or night – 7 days a week, so contact us now to see how we can help you on the road to recovery.
