My MRI Is Normal: Does That End My Concussion Claim?
No. Concussion is a clinical diagnosis: CT and MRI look for bleeding, not the injury you have. How post-concussion cases are proven, and two results built on normal imaging.
Washington, D.C. articles
57 articles on injury law and court decisions in Washington, D.C..
Hurt at Work by Someone Who Doesn't Work for Your Employer? You May Have a Second Claim
Workers' comp bars suing your employer, not the contractor, manufacturer, or driver who actually caused your injury. That third-party claim is usually worth far more.
Contributory Negligence in D.C., Maryland & Virginia: The 1% Rule That Decides Injury Cases
In D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, being even 1% at fault for your own injury can bar your claim entirely. How the rule works, the exceptions, and why the adjuster asks what you were doing.
How Long Do I Have to Sue the District of Columbia?
Six months. D.C. Code § 12-309 requires written notice to the Mayor within six months of an injury: far shorter than the statute of limitations, and it ends most claims.
What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage, And Do I Have It?
If you have an auto policy in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia, you very likely have uninsured motorist coverage, and it may be worth more than the at-fault driver's entire policy.
Rude Treatment or a Real Injury Claim? A New D.C. Ruling on Assault and Emotional Distress, Explained
Being treated badly is not the same as being legally injured. A May 2026 D.C. Court of Appeals decision draws the line between an upsetting encounter and a real claim for assault or emotional distress.
2025 Year in Review: The DMV Injury-Law Decisions That Mattered
From two January wins in Virginia's Supreme Court to the Whiteru finale, 2025 reshaped DMV injury law. Our year-end review of the decisions that mattered.
Whiteru, the Finale: DC's Highest Court Confirms a Duty to Aid the Fallen
The D.C. Court of Appeals answered the Whiteru certified question: property owners who know someone lies injured must render reasonable aid. The saga ends.
The Personal Injury "Justice Gap": Why the At-Fault Driver's Insurance Matters Most (And Your Only Way to Fix It)
When the at-fault driver's insurance can't cover what you lost, the "justice gap" begins. How injured people in DC, Maryland, and Virginia can close it.
Dog Bites in the District: Strict Liability Myths, the Leash Law, and What Victims Should Know
Is DC a strict liability dog bite jurisdiction? Not quite. The at-large rule, the leash law, and how dog attack victims actually recover in Washington.
Asking a Chatbot About Your Injury Case? What AI Gets Wrong About DC, Maryland, and Virginia Law
AI chatbots give confident answers about injury law, and get DMV specifics wrong. The contributory negligence trap, notice deadlines, and more.
How to Deal with Insurance Adjusters After an Accident
The adjuster who calls after your accident may sound sympathetic, but their job is to pay you as little as possible. What to say, what to avoid, and when to stop talking.
E-Bike and Scooter Battery Fires: Product Liability Comes to DC Apartments
Lithium-ion battery fires from e-bikes and scooters are injuring riders and neighbors alike. How DC product liability law treats battery fire claims.
Why Getting Medical Attention After an Accident Is Critical
Feeling fine after a crash doesn’t mean you are, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an insurer will use against you. Why prompt medical care protects your health and your claim.
Steps to Take Immediately After a Car Accident in the D.C. Metro Area
What you do in the minutes and days after a D.C.-area car accident can make or break your claim. A step-by-step guide from our trial lawyers.
Misdiagnosed in the ER: Emergency Medicine Claims in the District of Columbia
Federal research estimates 1 in 18 ER patients is misdiagnosed. How DC law handles emergency-room diagnostic-error claims, and the 90-day notice trap.
Porter v. Howard University Hospital: The Bankruptcy Trap That Almost Ate a Med-Mal Case
The DC Court of Appeals reversed dismissal of a med-mal case the plaintiff forgot to list in bankruptcy, and gave lawyers the playbook to save such claims.
Vision Zero, Real Numbers: DC Pedestrian Deaths and Civil Accountability
DC traffic deaths hit a 16-year high in 2023, the year before Vision Zero's target date. What civil accountability looks like for victims' families.
Whiteru Returns: D.C. Circuit Sends the "Trespasser Question" to DC's Highest Court
The D.C. Circuit has certified the Whiteru v. WMATA trespasser question to the D.C. Court of Appeals. What's at stake for injured Metro riders.
Injured by Construction in DC: Bystander and Passerby Claims
Hit by debris, tripped at a torn-up sidewalk, hurt near a DC construction site? How bystander claims work: who owes duties, notice traps, and evidence.
What happens if someone with little or no auto insurance injures you?
Hit by a driver with little or no insurance? Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may be the most important protection you have.
Rideshare Crash Claims in DC, 2023 Edition: The Insurance Layers, Eight Years On
Uber and Lyft insurance in DC, 2023: how the app-period coverage layers work, what changed since 2015, and the traps in rideshare crash claims.
DC's Permanent Police Reform Law: What It Changes for Civil Cases, and What It Doesn't
DC Law 24-345, effective April 21, 2023, makes police reform permanent. What the law does, and honestly, what it does not do, for civil claims.
Hurt on Metro: Your Rights as a WMATA Passenger in the Whiteru Era
Injured on Metro? How WMATA claims work: compact immunity, common-carrier duties, and what last year's Whiteru decision changed for passengers.
Child Pedestrians in DC: The Doctrines That Protect Kids After a Crash
When a child is hit by a car in DC, special rules apply: the comparative-fault carve-out, the child standard of care, and tolled deadlines explained.
Contributory Negligence for DC Drivers: Still the Harshest Rule in America
DC drivers hurt in crashes still face the 1% contributory negligence bar. How the rule works, the 50-state landscape, and the doctrines that soften it.
Whiteru v. WMATA: Contributory Negligence Doesn't Excuse Metro's Failure to Aid a Fallen Passenger
The D.C. Circuit holds a passenger's own negligence is no defense when a common carrier like WMATA fails its duty to aid an injured rider.
Jury Trials Are Back in DC, But the Backlog Will Shape Injury Cases for Years
DC Superior Court jury trials resumed in 2021 after a year-long pandemic pause. What the backlog means for injury case timelines and settlements.
Sidewalk Snow in DC: What the Law Requires, and Who Pays When Someone Falls
DC property owners must clear sidewalk snow within 8 daylight hours. What the law requires, the fines, and when a fall creates civil liability.
DC's New Vulnerable User Law: E-Scooter and Motorcycle Riders Finally Escape the 1% Rule
D.C. Law 23-183, effective March 16, 2021, extends comparative-fault protection to e-scooter riders, motorcyclists, and other vulnerable road users.
2020 Year in Review: The Quiet Shifts in DMV Injury Law
Tolled deadlines, Daubert in Maryland, consumer protection in the operating room, and a hands-free Virginia: the 2020 changes DMV injury claimants should know.
Gig Delivery Drivers Are Everywhere: Who Insures the Crash?
Food and package delivery has exploded in 2020, and so have insurance gaps. Who pays when a gig delivery driver causes a crash in the DMV?
DC Deadlines in the Pandemic: Emergency Orders, Emergency Legislation, and Your Claim
DC has tolled legal deadlines during the COVID-19 emergency. What the court orders and Council legislation mean for injury claims in the District.
Frankeny v. District Hospital Partners: DC's Consumer Protection Law Reaches the Operating Room
The DC Court of Appeals holds the Consumer Protection Procedures Act applies to medical providers: a case argued by our partner Jacob Lebowitz.
Lead Paint and the DC Housing Code: Children's Exposure Claims in the District
DC law makes lead-based paint hazards illegal in pre-1978 rental housing. What families of lead-exposed children should know about civil claims.
Punitive Damages in DC: What the Clear-and-Convincing Standard Really Requires
Punitive damages in DC require clear and convincing proof of malice or its equivalent. What the standard means, when it applies, and what to expect.
DC's New Law for Abuse Survivors: Extended Deadlines and a Two-Year Window to Revive Old Claims
DC Law 22-311, effective May 3, 2019, extends civil deadlines for sexual abuse survivors and opens a two-year window to revive time-barred claims.
The E-Scooter Boom in DC: Injuries, Insurance Gaps, and the Contributory Negligence Problem
E-scooters are everywhere in DC, but riders hurt by cars face insurance gaps and the District's harsh contributory negligence rule. Know your rights.
Hurt on Metro: WMATA Injury Claims, the Immunity Wrinkles, and Your Deadlines
Injured on a WMATA train, bus, or station? Why Metro cases are unlike any other injury claim: sovereign immunity, federal court, and strict deadlines.
Blair v. District of Columbia: The District Answers for an Off-Duty Officer's Violence
In Blair v. DC, the DC Court of Appeals held a jury must decide whether the District is liable for an off-duty officer who invoked police authority.
Scooters Hit DC's Streets: The Early Legal Questions of the Dockless Era
Dockless scooters arrived in Washington DC this spring. Who pays when a rider is hurt, or hurts someone else? The early legal landscape, explained.
Nursing Home Neglect in Washington DC: Warning Signs and Your Family's Legal Rights
How to spot nursing home neglect in Washington DC, the rights residents have under DC and federal law, and the deadlines families need to know.
Icy Sidewalks in DC: What Property Owners Must Do About Snow, and When You Can Sue After a Fall
DC law gives property owners 8 daylight hours to clear sidewalk snow. What the shoveling law does, and doesn't, mean for people injured in icy falls.
Hall v. District of Columbia: D.C. Circuit Reinstates False-Arrest and Excessive-Force Claims After a Restaurant Bill Dispute Ends in Handcuffs
In Hall v. District of Columbia, the D.C. Circuit revived false-arrest and excessive-force claims, and let claims against the restaurant proceed too.
Wrongful Death vs. Survival Actions in DC: Two Claims, Two Sets of Damages
When someone dies from negligence in DC, the law provides two distinct claims, wrongful death and survival, with different damages and beneficiaries.
Suing the District of Columbia: The § 12-309 Six-Month Notice Trap That Kills Good Cases
Before you can sue the DC government for an injury, D.C. Code § 12-309 requires written notice within six months. Miss it and even a strong case is gone.
What DC's New Comparative-Fault Law Does NOT Change: Drivers, Last Clear Chance, and the Insurer Playbook
DC's Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act helps pedestrians and cyclists, but drivers, passengers, and most injury victims still face the old 1% bar. Details here.
DC Ends the 1% Bar for Cyclists and Pedestrians: The Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act Takes Effect November 26
DC's Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act of 2016 ends the pure contributory negligence bar for pedestrians and cyclists hit by cars, effective November 26.
Hit by a Car in DC? The Step-by-Step Guide: Police Report, PIP Election, Treatment, and Deadlines
A step-by-step guide for DC crash victims: the police report, the 60-day PIP election, medical treatment, and the deadlines that can make or break your claim.
Premises Liability in DC: Invitees, Licensees, and the Reasonable-Care Standard Explained
Hurt on someone else's property in Washington DC? Learn how DC's reasonable-care standard works and why it's friendlier than Maryland's or Virginia's rules.
Destefano v. Children's National: DC Adopts the Rescue Doctrine
After a child fell through an uncovered vent into a 25-foot shaft, the DC Court of Appeals formally adopted the rescue doctrine: a landmark for families.
Uber and Lyft Crashes in DC: Who Pays? The Rideshare Insurance Gap, 2015 Edition
DC's new vehicle-for-hire law sets insurance tiers for Uber and Lyft crashes. Who pays depends on what the app showed at the moment of impact.
Sullivan v. AboveNet: DC Court of Appeals Reinstates $300,000 Sidewalk-Defect Verdict
The DC Court of Appeals reinstated a $300,000 jury verdict for a pedestrian who tripped on a sunken utility cut: a major win on notice and jury verdicts.
DC's 90-Day Medical Malpractice Notice Rule: The Trap That Kills Good Cases
Before suing a DC doctor or hospital, § 16-2802 requires 90 days' written notice. Miss it and even a strong malpractice case can be dismissed.
Providence Hospital v. Willis: DC Court of Appeals Confirms the Med-Mal Causation Standard
The DC Court of Appeals affirmed a $650,000 verdict in Providence Hospital v. Willis, confirming plaintiffs need not rule out every alternative cause.
Injured in DC? The 3-Year Clock, and the Exceptions That Shorten It
DC's statute of limitations gives injury victims 3 years to sue, but notice rules and shorter deadlines can cut that time dramatically. Know the traps.
DC's Last Clear Chance Doctrine: The Escape Hatch From Contributory Negligence
DC's contributory negligence rule can bar injury claims entirely, unless the defendant had the last clear chance to avoid the harm. How the doctrine works.