West Virginia Serious Injury Lawyers
By J. Brandon Shumaker and J. Tyler Slavey · Slavey & Shumaker PLLC · Morgantown, WV · Last updated November 3, 2026
Table of Contents
- What Counts as a Serious Injury
- Serious Injury Cases We Handle
- Why Serious Injury Claims Need Careful Preparation
- Compensation After a Serious Injury
- Fault and Responsible Parties
- What to Do After a Serious Injury
- Deadlines and Insurance Pressure
- Why Choose Slavey & Shumaker PLLC
- Frequently Asked Questions
A serious injury can change nearly every part of life: work, family, sleep, independence and plans for the future. It often brings surgery, months of therapy, missed income and questions that insurance companies are in no hurry to answer.
Slavey & Shumaker PLLC helps seriously injured people and their families in Morgantown and throughout the State of West Virginia, including Monongalia, Preston, Marion and Harrison Counties. We investigate what happened, protect the evidence and pursue compensation from the people and insurers responsible. For an overview of our injury practice, see our personal injury lawyers page.
1. What Counts as a Serious Injury
No statute defines a “serious injury” for an ordinary negligence claim. In practice, a serious injury is one that requires major medical treatment, causes lasting pain or permanent impairment, leaves scarring or disfigurement, or significantly limits work and daily life. Examples include:
| Injury | Why it is often serious |
|---|---|
| Traumatic brain injury | Can affect memory, concentration, mood, sleep and the ability to work, sometimes with few visible signs |
| Spinal cord and spinal injuries | Herniated discs, fractures and cord injuries can require surgery and cause permanent limits |
| Fractures and crush injuries | Often require surgery and hardware, with risk of arthritis and lasting restrictions |
| Burns, scarring and disfigurement | May require repeated procedures and have lasting physical and emotional effects |
| Internal injuries and amputations | Can require emergency surgery, long hospital stays and lifelong care |
| Joint, nerve, vision and hearing injuries | Can permanently affect mobility, sensation and independence |
Some serious injuries are obvious at once. Others become clear only after imaging, specialist visits or failed conservative treatment. That is why an early settlement offer can be dangerous: the full medical picture may not be known when the insurer first asks for a release.
2. Serious Injury Cases We Handle
High speeds, distraction, impairment and failure to yield cause many severe injuries. See our car accident lawyers page.
Commercial vehicle cases can involve driver logs, maintenance records, federal safety rules and multiple insurers. See our truck accident page.
Riders often suffer orthopedic and head injuries and face unfair blame. See our motorcycle accident page.
People on foot have little protection, especially near campus and downtown. See our pedestrian accident page.
Property owners and businesses can be responsible for hazards that cause serious harm. See our premises liability page.
Claims against health care providers follow the Medical Professional Liability Act, which requires a notice of claim and a screening certificate of merit served at least 30 days before filing suit (W. Va. Code § 55-7B-6(b)). See our medical malpractice page.
Injuries on the job often involve workers’ compensation, and in some cases a separate claim against a third party, such as a negligent driver or equipment maker. See our workplace injury guide.
3. Why Serious Injury Claims Need Careful Preparation
When an injury is likely to be expensive, insurers look for ways to limit the claim. They may argue that you were partly at fault, that your pain comes from a preexisting condition, that treatment was unnecessary or that you recovered faster than you did. They may request a recorded statement or a broad medical authorization, or offer money before the long-term effects are known.
The goal of preparation is to show not only that the accident happened, but how it changed your life. That can require police and incident reports, photos and video, witness statements, complete medical records, wage records, opinions from treating doctors and other experts, vehicle data and insurance policy information.
4. Compensation After a Serious Injury
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Medical expenses | Emergency care, hospital stays, surgery, therapy, medication, equipment and future treatment |
| Lost income | Missed wages, reduced earning capacity and lost benefits |
| Other economic losses | Travel to treatment, household help, home or vehicle modifications and property damage |
| Non-economic damages | Pain and suffering, emotional distress, inconvenience, scarring and disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life |
| Punitive damages (rare) | Only on clear and convincing proof of actual malice or conscious, reckless and outrageous indifference to the health, safety and welfare of others, and limited to the greater of four times compensatory damages or $500,000 (§ 55-7-29) |
Future damages are often the largest part of a serious injury claim. If a settlement ignores future surgery, therapy or vocational changes, the injured person may be left paying for accident-related care after the case is closed. When an injury causes a death, the family’s claim is governed by the wrongful death statute; see our wrongful death page.
Facing a Long Recovery?
Let us look at your case and explain your options at no cost. Telephone consultations are available.
5. Fault and Responsible Parties
West Virginia uses modified comparative fault. Your share of fault does not bar recovery unless it is greater than the combined fault of all other persons responsible, and your recovery is reduced in proportion to your fault (W. Va. Code § 55-7-13c(c)). Each defendant is generally liable only for its own percentage of fault (§ 55-7-13c(a)), so identifying every responsible party matters. Depending on the facts, that may include a driver, trucking company, employer, vehicle or property owner, contractor or product manufacturer.
In crash cases, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may also be available:
- Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. Every West Virginia auto liability policy must include coverage that pays you what you are legally entitled to recover from an uninsured driver, within limits no less than the state minimums (W. Va. Code § 33-6-31(b)). A driver whose identity is unknown is treated as uninsured, subject to the conditions in the statute (§ 33-6-31(c)).
- Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. Insurers must offer UIM coverage as an option, and it applies only if you selected it (§ 33-6-31(b); W. Va. Code R. § 114-63-5.1). UIM coverage applies when the at-fault driver’s liability insurance actually available to you is less than your total damages, regardless of how those liability limits compare to your UIM limits (Syl. Pt. 5, Pristavec v. Westfield Insurance Co., 184 W. Va. 331, 400 S.E.2d 575 (1990); W. Va. Code R. § 114-63-2.2). UIM coverage then pays the damages that the at-fault driver’s available liability coverage does not, up to your UIM limits (State Automobile Mutual Insurance Co. v. Youler, 183 W. Va. 556, 396 S.E.2d 737 (1990)). Amounts payable under UIM coverage may not be reduced by payments made under your policy or any other policy (§ 33-6-31(b); W. Va. Code R. § 114-63-5.2).
6. What to Do After a Serious Injury
Attend follow-up appointments and tell every provider about all of your symptoms.
Keep photos, damaged equipment, clothing and footwear, and save every bill, receipt and insurance letter.
Write down pain levels, limitations, missed events and tasks you can no longer do.
Do not give a recorded statement or sign a medical authorization, release or settlement before you understand what rights you are giving up.
Video is overwritten, vehicles are repaired and conditions at a scene change. Early investigation can make a real difference.
Our consultation checklist lists what to bring to a first meeting.
7. Deadlines and Insurance Pressure
Most West Virginia personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years after the right to sue accrues (W. Va. Code § 55-2-12(b)). Medical negligence claims generally must be brought within two years of the injury or of when it was or should have been discovered, but no more than 10 years after the injury, and claims against nursing homes and assisted living facilities have a one-year period (§ 55-7B-4(a) and (b)). Claims involving children and government bodies have their own rules; see our statute of limitations guide.
Insurance pressure often starts before you have recovered. Before accepting money, make sure you understand your diagnosis, future treatment, lost income, permanent limitations and any reimbursement claims from health insurers. Once a claim is settled, it is usually over.
8. Why Choose Slavey & Shumaker PLLC
A serious injury case is personal. Our attorneys, J. Tyler Slavey, J. Brandon Shumaker, Scott B. Harris and Kasey Libby, listen, explain the process and prepare each claim with care. We investigate, identify every source of insurance, document the damages, negotiate from a position of preparation and file suit when that becomes necessary. No lawyer can guarantee a result. You can read what past clients say in our more than 100 Google reviews.
9. Frequently Asked Questions About Serious Injury Claims
Talk With a West Virginia Serious Injury Lawyer
Slavey & Shumaker PLLC, 174 Chancery Row, Morgantown. Serving clients throughout the State of West Virginia, including Monongalia, Preston, Marion and Harrison Counties. The consultation is free, telephone consultations are available, and you pay no fee unless we recover.
This page is provided for general informational purposes about West Virginia law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case depends on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.