While it is impossible to turn back the clock and prevent a personal injury from happening, it is possible to be compensated for your financial expenses and unnecessary pain and suffering.

As experienced Charlottesville Personal Injury lawyers with over 100 years of combined experience, we have handled hundreds of cases in Virginia courts, including many successful jury trials and appeals.  We know what we are doing, and we will fight hard and well to gain the results you deserve.

Contact our firm today if you or a loved one has been injured and needs legal assistance with any of the following:

• Vehicle accidents
• Non-vehicle accidents
• School bus accidents
• Premises liability
• Wrongful death
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Burn Injuries
• Construction/On-the-Job Accidents
• Dog/Animal Bites
• Boating Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Defective Products

Our firm is located in the historic Court Square area of Charlottesville, Virginia, and we have built our practice providing professional, client-focused legal services. We are committed to maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards, while providing quality representation at a reasonable fee. We treat our clients with respect, we listen to them, we tell them the truth, and we keep them informed.

Our attorneys practice in the Circuit, General District, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts in the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and in surrounding jurisdictions. We have also handled numerous appeals to both the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia. Our cases are varied and our clients diverse. Whatever the task or challenge, we address each case in a professional manner designed to realize the goals of our clients in the most effective and efficient way possible.

If you or someone you know needs the assistance of an experienced Charlosttesville Personal Injury lawyer, call Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd. today at 866-739-9992, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule a free consultation.

Practice Areas and Legal Definitions

Automobile Accidents:
A car accident is a collision involving an automobile and anything that causes damage to the automobile, including other automobiles, telephone poles, buildings and trees. Sometimes a car accident may also refer to an automobile striking a human or animal. Car accidents — also called traffic collisions, auto accidents, road accidents, personal injury collisions, motor vehicle accidents and crashes — kill an estimated 1.2 million people worldwide each year, and injure about forty times this number.

Other Vehicle Accidents:
Legal claims that arise from vehicle accidents are typically governed by the law of negligence.  Any individual who negligently operates a motor vehicle may be required to pay damages to an injured victim.  A personal injury case involving a vehicle accident may become formalized through civil court proceedings or may be resolved through an informal settlement before a lawsuit is filed. 

Vehicle accidents can include:

• ATV accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Boating accidents
• Bus accidents
• Cruise ship accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Semi-tractor trailer accidents
• SUV rollover accidents
• Train accidents
• Truck accidents

The surviving family members of a fatally injured accident victim may be able to bring wrongful death charges against the defendant.

Bicycle Accidents:
According to the Federal Highway Administration, over 67,000 cyclists in the U.S. are injured every year in accidents involving motor vehicles.  Many cyclists who are injured in bicycle accidents are unaware that they have a personal injury case and that they may be entitled to compensation for injuries, pain and suffering, medical bills and lost incomes.  A cyclist may be entitled to receive compensation for an injury sustained because of a pothole, poor road or defective sidewalk.  There are state mandated residential and commercial bicycle laws, which entitle cyclists to observe different traffic rules than cars, trucks and other motorized vehicles.  This may mean that the cyclist is not legally responsible for an accident.

Boating Accidents:
Typically, powerboats such as runabouts, cabin cruisers and jet skis are the most common watercraft involved in boating accidents, although sailboats can be involved in accidents as well.  The most frequent sources of injuries are caused from propeller accidents and collisions.  Because personal watercraft such as jet skis cannot be steered when the throttle is released, inexperienced drivers often have collisions when confronted with an emergency.  Serious personal injury and even death can occur due to a boating collision or from a person falling over the side of a watercraft and drowning.  Legal claims that arise from boating collisions are typically governed by the law of negligence.  Any individual who negligently operates a watercraft may be required to pay damages to an injured victim.  A maritime case involving a boating accident may become formalized through civil court proceedings, or may be resolved through an informal settlement before a lawsuit is filed.  The surviving family members of a fatally injured boating accident victim may be able to recover damages in a maritime wrongful death action against the defendant.

Cruise Ship Accidents:
Cruise ship accidents can include food poisoning, assault by crew members or other passengers, sexual battery, slip/trip and falls and other personal injuries.  Cruise ship lines have a responsibility to make sure there are no hazardous conditions on board that can cause injury to its passengers.  When cruise ship accidents occur because of poor maintenance, incompetent staff members, inadequate safety equipment, inadequate emergency precautions and/or improperly trained employees, cruise ship owners can be held legally responsible for negligence.  Victims of cruise ship accidents may be entitled to damages for pain and suffering, medical bills and lost wages.  The cruise ship industry restricts when and where a personal injury claim can be filed.  For example, many tickets make a stipulation that an injured passenger must file a claim within one year of the cruise ship accident, and that claims must be made in a certain state.

Motorcycle Accidents:
Motorcycle riders are often exposed to dangers not met by automobile drivers and other motorists on the road.  The lack of any substantial protective barriers, as well as the difficulty that other motorists may have in seeing or stopping for a motorcycle, leaves riders prone to serious personal injury in the event of an accident.

Truck Accidents:
Truck accidents are usually much more complex than car accidents, and as roadways are becoming more and more crowded, truck accidents are occurring more frequently and involving a multitude of drivers. Truck accidents can occur due to reckless driving, mechanical failures, oversized/overloaded trucks, inexperience of the truck driver, driving in bad weather, and truck driver fatigue, and can result in truck/vehicle rollover, jack-knife, or head-on and rear-end collisions. Laws and regulations are specifically designed to protect motorists from the negligence of the truck companies and/or truck drivers. A person who is injured in a truck accident, or has lost a loved one due to wrongful death caused by a truck accident, can sue the persons or party at fault.

Spinal Cord Injury:
Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the nerves within the spinal canal are damaged.  Most SCI's are caused by trauma to the vertebral column, affecting the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages between the brain and the body's systems that control sensory, motor and autonomic function.  Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of SCI, followed by acts of violence, falls, sports injuries and diseases such as polio, spina bifida and Friedreich’s Ataxia.  The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of functioning to occur. In fact, in most people with SCI, the spinal cord is intact, but the damage to it results in loss of functioning.   

Traumatic Brain Injury:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a medical phrase used to describe the damage to the brain suffered by sudden impact or physical force to the head.  Essentially, the human brain floats in a fluid substance called cerebrospinal fluid.  TBI can result when the force of momentum causes the brain to impact against the skull.  This type of injury, often the result of hitting your head on the windshield, pavement or object, is frequently referred to as a “closed head injury.”  Whiplash can also cause TBI.  These closed head injuries can result in lasting physical and mental problems.

Burn Injuries:
People who have suffered and survived the agony of second, third and even fourth degree burns describe the pain they experienced as among the most severe of all traumatic injuries.  Personal injuries involving severe burns commonly result from explosions, premises fires, defective products, motor vehicle collisions, electric shock, as well as accidental exposure to harmful chemicals and radiation.

Slip and Fall/Premises Liability:
Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere and can cause serious personal injury.  Most slip and falls happen in commercial settings, such as grocery stores, drug stores, office buildings, construction sites, gas stations and malls, but they also happen on private property.  Premises Liability accidents can include toxic exposure, animal attacks, swimming pool accidents and amusement park ride accidents.  In any event, there exist duties on the part of the property owners to maintain the property responsibly and avoid the existence of hazardous conditions.

Dangerous or defective conditions may be large or small, temporary or permanent.  Therefore, investigation of the claim is essential to a successful case.  Temporary conditions such as water on the floor of a grocery store, or snow and ice on the stairs of a restaurant need to be investigated quickly.

Construction/ On-the-Job Accidents:
Construction labor makes up one of the three most dangerous occupations in the United States today; each year producing thousands of debilitating injuries and wrongful deaths.  Factors that contribute to construction accidents include workers lifting loads with worn and weathered cables, working on elevated platforms without fall protection or wearing defective safety harnesses and lanyards, and/or working in trenches with improper benching and using outdated tools and equipment.  Farming and manufacturing accidents, as well as the oil and gas industry accidents can also cause serious injury and toxic exposure.

• Toxic Exposure: Due to the tremendous growth of corporate industry in the United States over the past fifty years, the number of dangerous, toxic substances in the environment has grown significantly.  Some toxic substances are shown to cause substantial injury to people, such as lead-based paint (linked to brain damage, especially in children), asbestos (linked to lung cancer and restrictive lung disease), dry cleaning and other solvents (linked to brain damage and major organ damage), pesticides such as dioxin and DDT (linked to birth injuries) and toxic landfill waste (linked to leukemia).

Dog/Animal Bites:
Every year, millions of Americans are bitten by animals.  Being attacked by a dog is an extremely stressful event. Many dog bite injuries leave scars and have lasting emotional effects.  In every state, a dog owner is liable for bites to people inflicted viciously by a dog that previously bit a person viciously, or that were inflicted pursuant to the command of the dog owner.

In almost all states, a bite victim can recover compensation from a person whose negligence caused the attack and from a person who violated a leash law, a trespass law applicable to dogs or other dog safety laws.  The owner or keeper of a dog is strictly liable for his or her dog, even if it is the first time the dog has injured someone.  As long as the injured victim was not trespassing, teasing or tormenting the dog, the keeper or owner of the dog is liable for any injuries sustained.  Compensation for a dog bite can include payment for medical bills, pain & suffering, mental anxiety, fear and scarring.

Insurance Claims:
Insurance claims are a notice for reimbursement from an insurance company when the insured has suffered a loss that is covered under the insurance policy. Insurance companies cannot refuse to pay a customer's claim without "reasonable justification."  This means that an insurance company must engage in a reasonable investigation and pay legitimate claims in a timely manner.  If an insurance company fails to handle its customer's claim properly, it may be held accountable for resulting economic losses, including lost wages, interest on money the insured borrowed to cover expenses while insurance benefits were wrongfully withheld, and loss due to damaged credit.

Defective Products:
Products liability refers to a manufacturer or seller being held liable for placing a defective product into the hands of a consumer.  Products liability cases may include defective or poorly designed machinery, tools, motor vehicle defects, recreational products, pharmaceuticals and other defective products and equipment.  A person injured by a defective or dangerous product may be eligible to file a lawsuit for product liability.  Damages can be recovered under one of the following categories:  strict products liability; negligence or breach of warranty.   

Wrongful Death:
A wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of another individual, company or organization.  A legal action for wrongful death belongs to the decedent's immediate family members, usually a surviving spouse and children, and sometimes parents.  Under certain circumstances, unrelated minor children living with and supported by the decedent may also bring a claim for wrongful death.  In order to bring a successful wrongful death cause of action, the following elements must be present:

• The death of a human being caused by another's negligent or intentional conduct.
• The survival of family members who are suffering the loss of financial support, love, care, comfort, supervision, guidance, household assistance and general society previously provided by the deceased.

The general rule in wrongful death cases is that one is entitled to recover both economic and non-economic damages which are suffered as a result of the loss of a loved one.  Economic damages in a wrongful death case include an award for the financial contributions which the decedent would have made to his or her spouse, children and/or parents had he or she survived.  It also includes the recovery for funeral service expenses in memory of the decedent and for burial cost.  Non-economic damages include loss of love, society, companionship, comfort, affection, solace or moral support. 

If you or someone you know needs the assistance of an experienced Charlottesville Virginia Personal Injury attorney, call Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd. today at 866-739-9992, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule a free consultation.

If you or someone you know needs the assistance of an experienced Charlottesville Virginia Personal Injury attorney, call Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd. today at 866-739-9992, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule a free consultation.

ADDRESS OF THE FIRM:
Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd.
211 East High Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: 866-739-9992
Hours: M-F, 9:00AM-5:00PM
Services provided after-hours

MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:

Attorney Frank Buck, Esquire

• Jurisdictions Attorney is Licensed in: Virginia
• Date Admitted to the Bar: 1971
• Colleges Attended, Degree & Year Graduated: University of Virginia, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, 1967; University of Virginia School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1971
• Professional Memberships & Achievements: Mr. Buck is the past president of the Charlottesville/Albemarle Bar Association, the former mayor of the City of Charlottesville (1980-88), former president of Charlottesville Housing Improvement Program, Camp Holiday Trails, and Horizon Institute for Policy Solutions, and has served on other community boards such as the United Way. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

Attorney David J. Toscano, Esquire

• Jurisdictions Attorney is Licensed in: Virginia
• Date Admitted to the Bar: 1986
• Colleges Attended, Degree & Year Graduated: Colgate University, Bachelor of Arts, 1972; Boston College, Ph.D. in Sociology, 1979; University of Virginia School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1986
• Professional Memberships & Achievements: Since 2006 Mr. Toscano has served in the Virginia House of Delegates as the representative of the 57th House District. He served on the Charlottesville City Council from 1990 to 2002; he simultaneously served as Mayor of Charlottesville from 1994 to 1996. His public service includes positions on various local and state boards and commissions, including the City of Charlottesville's Social Development Commission, West Main Street Task Force, Neighborhood Protection Task Force, City Retirement Commission, and Housing Task Force, the Jefferson Area Board for Aging Advisory Board, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, former Governor George Allen's Task Force on economic opportunity, and former Governor Mark Warner's Small Business Advisory Commission. He is a member of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. In the House of Delegates, he presently serves on the Courts of Justice, Transportation, and Science and Technology Committees. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and has been an attorney since 1986.

Attorney Terry L. Tereskerz, Esquire

• Jurisdictions Attorney is Licensed in: Virginia
• Date Admitted to the Bar: 1977
• Colleges Attended, Degree & Year Graduated: Old Dominion University, Bachelor of Arts in History, 1973; University of Virginia School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1977
• Professional Memberships & Achievements: Prior to the beginning of Mr. Tereskerz's legal career, he became a commissioned officer in the United States Army upon his graduation from the Artillery and Missile Officer Candidate School in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He thereafter served one tour of duty in the Republic of Vietnam as a First Lieutenant with the 25th Infantry Division. He earned several citations and campaign ribbons, including the Bronze Star Medal with First Oak Leaf Cluster. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar.

Verdicts and Settlements:

• Settlement: $375,000 (93.75% of all available insurance coverage), Wrongful death of teenager
   
• Settlement: $262,000 (87% of all available insurance coverage), Vehicle accident with severe arm, leg, and hip injuries
   
• Settlement: $175,000 (87.5% of all available insurance coverage), Vehicle accident with severe leg injuries
   
• Settlement: $125,000 (100% of all available insurance coverage), Vehicle accident with herniated disk