Truck Accidents
One of the largest threats on VA highways is large trucks - big rigs, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks - no matter the name, when an accident involves a large truck in Virginia, the results are often devastating. Statistics show that every 16 minutes a person in the U.S. is injured or killed in a truck accident and that 98% of related fatalities occur to the individuals in the passenger vehicles. The average length of a large truck is 70-80 ft and they can weigh up to and over 80,000 pounds. This means that big trucks and tractor trailers are easily capable of causing multi-vehicle crashes and multiple injuries or deaths.
Medical Malpractice
Healthcare and medical professionals are expected to be just that; professional. When we visit a doctor, physician, pharmacist, dentist or hospital for medical care in VA, it is done with the understanding that the care and service we are receiving is of the highest quality and within acceptable standards.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Every year, as many as 98,000 patients die in U.S. hospitals from medical malpractice, including neglect and oversight by doctors and other care givers. When Virginia health care providers act in a way that is considered outside of the ordinary standard of care that another professional would provide under the circumstances, they may be liable for medical malpractice.
Prescription Injuries
When consumers are directed by their physicians to use a specific pharmaceutical product, they trust the medication will improve their condition. Unfortunately, many of the drugs that are hitting the market are being released prematurely without adequate testing. Instead of having controlled groups with volunteers as the subjects, the unknowing consumers become the test group; often with disastrous results. Prescription drugs that people thought would help improve their lives has now proved harmful.
About Virginia
Virginia was home to the first permanent English colony founded by the Virginia Company at Jamestown in 1607. It entered the union in 1788 as one of the original 13 states. The state of VA was named for Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen of England. Virginia was home to many of the founding fathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason, and Patrick Henry. Richmond, Virginia's capital, was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Virginia is a popular tourist spot, where tourists can visit historic places such as Alexandria, Williamsburg, and Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate. In colonial times, VAwas officially known as the Colony and Dominion of Virginia. You will often hear the state called the Commonwealth of Virginia. This does not mean VA has a different form of government than any other state. It could be said that all 50 states, as well as the national government, are commonwealths.
Virginia is bordered by West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia (across the Potomac River) to the north; the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean form the eastern border; North Carolina and Tennessee edge the south; and Kentucky and West Virginia lie to the west. The Chesapeake Bay divides the state. The eastern portion of Virginia, called 'the Eastern Shore of Virginia', is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is completely separate from the rest of the state.
Geographically, VA is divided into the following 5 regions:
- Piedmont - East of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Tidewater Region.
- Valley and Ridge - Appalachian Mountains and Shenandoah Valley Region.
- Appalachian Plateau - West of the Appalachian Mountains.
- Blue Ridge Mountains - East of the Appalachian Mountains to the Blue Ridge Mountain Region.
- Tidewater - Stretching from the Atlantic coast to the fall line.
- Virginia's long east-west axis has metropolitan northern Virginia closer to New York and New England than to the rural western panhandle of its own state. Conversely, Lee County, at the tip of the panhandle, is closer to 8 state capitals than its own capital of Richmond.
Virginia State Parks offers an abundance of recreation. Parks and other natural areas are plentiful and accommodate travelers, campers, hikers, boaters and all around adventurers of all skill and endurance levels. White water rafting in all three categories can be found in a number of rivers throughout VA with one of the best being a two-day, twenty-five mile stretch of the Rappahannock River in Essex County. Hunters will find the state rife with game. And if all you hunt is history, then you're in the richest historical area of our country - Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Parks are a great place to start.
Virginia's economy is so diverse that it's difficult to round out the sources of income to a few main areas. Manufacturing, farming, cattle, defense contracting, military installations and a sizeable share of the U.S. government's professional corps all contribute considerable quantities of jobs and money to the state. The state is rich with innovative communications companies, information technology firms, hardware and software firms and consultants. Additionally, the Tobacco Industry, unique to only a few states, thrives here in VA.
Virginia was the wealthiest southern state before the Civil War. It recovered from the Civil War and the Great Depression much faster than the rest of the south. Today it's still significantly wealthier than the rest of the south, although much of that is from the northern influence around the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. In fact, for being a southern state, the economy and demographic trends tie it more closely to the mid-Atlantic states then to its cousins to the west and south.
Virginia truly runs the gauntlet in diversity, strength of economy, and solid outlooks toward continued future growth. It also has a sense of balance with nature and its residents. Being a Virginian imparts a secure feeling, that in itself, perpetuates the strong steady growth that the state experiences.
