Arlington Personal Injury Lawyer

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An Arlington injury claim may involve different agencies, deadlines and laws depending on where and how you were hurt. Road maintenance, the transit service involved and whether the crash happened in Virginia or D.C. can all matter. Tell us which street it happened on and we can look into who maintains it.

Illustration of commuters crossing at Wilson Boulevard and North Lynn Street in Rosslyn.

In Arlington, who maintains the road decides who you sue

Arlington and Henrico are the only two counties in Virginia that maintain their own roads instead of VDOT. About 80 percent of Arlington’s centerline miles are the county’s. The other 20 percent, including I-66, I-395, Route 50, Route 29 and Glebe Road, belong to the Commonwealth.

Knowing who maintains the road matters when a dangerous road condition contributes to a crash. Of the 39 crashes that killed or severely injured someone in Arlington in 2024, the county’s own Vision Zero annual report puts 17 on county-maintained roads and 22 on VDOT-maintained roads or intersections. So the majority of the worst crashes in Arlington happen on pavement the county does not maintain.

The notice deadline depends on which government is involved. A claim against the county carries a six-month notice. A claim against VDOT carries a year. Confirming who maintains the road early can help you avoid missing the applicable notice deadline.

Why choose Gray Broughton Injury Law?

We identify the responsible party and applicable deadlines

Arlington has county roads, state highways, a National Park Service parkway and an airport authority within 26 square miles. We begin by looking at who may be responsible and which deadlines apply.

We handle cases in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Gray Broughton takes cases in Virginia and in Washington, D.C. Near the Arlington–D.C. boundary, the location of a collision can determine which fault rules apply.

We prepare your case for trial

Evidence about how the accident happened can be critical under Virginia’s fault rules. We work to gather and preserve that evidence early.

GET YOUR FREE CASE REVIEW

Tell us what happened and what you have so far: the crash report number, the name of the other driver’s insurer, where you were treated. Our team reviews every inquiry. We will explain any applicable deadlines and discuss your next steps. The review comes with no obligation.

It's Easy to Get Started

Gray Broughton: The Lawyers Insurance Companies Do Not Want to See

Trial Lawyers, Not Settlement Lawyers

Gray Broughton and Sharif Gray try cases in court. Insurance companies track which firms settle and which ones show up to trial. That distinction changes the value of your case from the very first demand letter.

Veteran-Owned, Military Discipline

Both founding attorneys served as United States Army JAG Officers. That background built the firm’s standard for investigation, preparation, and accountability on every case.

Selective Caseload, Full Resources

The firm does not take every call. It accepts a limited number of cases so each client receives the complete attention of the trial team, not a paralegal managing a stack of files.

Trusted by Other Attorneys

Law firms across Virginia refer their most difficult cases to Gray Broughton Injury Law, particularly high-value traumatic brain injury trials. That referral pattern exists because other attorneys trust this firm’s courtroom record.

Where Arlington claims start

People struck while walking

Pedestrians were involved in 111 Arlington crashes in 2024, 15 of them causing severe injuries, per the county’s Vision Zero annual report. Columbia Pike alone carries 75 pedestrian crashes on the county’s High Injury Network. Investigating a pedestrian injury claim includes examining where and how the collision happened.

Cyclists hit in Arlington

Cyclists were involved in 39 crashes in 2024, and all three of the severe ones happened at intersections VDOT maintains rather than the county. Wilson Boulevard carries the county’s highest bicycle crash count. If an unsafe intersection contributed to the crash, identifying who maintains it may be an important part of the claim.

Rideshare and delivery crashes

17,046 Arlington households have no vehicle available, the highest share in Virginia at 15.2 percent, in a county whose median household income is $142,114. For people injured while using rideshare services, identifying the applicable insurance coverage is an important early step.

Car crashes and the road-ownership question

Arlington maintains about 80 percent of its own centerline miles and the Commonwealth holds the rest, including I-395 and Route 50. A car accident claim involving a government agency may require written notice well before the deadline to file a lawsuit.

Burn injuries treated across a state line

Virginia’s three designated burn centers are in Richmond and Norfolk, and VHC Health’s Level II trauma designation expressly excludes extensive burns. An Arlington burn victim is treated in Washington. We may need to obtain medical records from providers in both Virginia and D.C.

Children with serious head injuries

Virginia’s three designated pediatric trauma centers are in Roanoke, Norfolk and Richmond, and none of them is in Northern Virginia. An Arlington child with a severe head injury goes to Children’s National in Washington, so a traumatic brain injury claim may involve obtaining medical records from providers in D.C.

The fault rule, and what changes across the bridge

Virginia bars recovery entirely when a plaintiff’s own negligence was a proximate cause of the crash. The rule does not divide fault into percentages to reduce an award. Litchford v. Hancock holds that the negligence of the parties may not be compared, and the model instruction tells an Arlington jury the same thing.

The District applies the same bar, with one statutory exception Virginia has no equivalent to: a modified rule for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users. It is an exception rather than a switch to comparative fault. A cyclist injured in Rosslyn may therefore have different options for recovering compensation than one injured just across the bridge in D.C.

Where an Arlington case is actually heard

Section 17.1-506 puts Arlington County and the City of Falls Church together in the seventeenth circuit, and the district court follows the same pairing.

Both courts are in one building, the Arlington County Justice Center at 1425 North Courthouse Road, but you will need to visit the office for the court handling your case. The general district court is Suite 2400 on the second floor. The circuit court clerk’s office is split by division on the sixth floor, and a personal injury complaint goes to the civil division.

Which court hears the case depends on the amount claimed:

$4,500 or less: general district court, exclusively
Over $4,500 up to $50,000: either court, and the plaintiff chooses
Over $50,000: circuit court

Wrongful death cases require an additional step before filing. Only a court-appointed personal representative may file a wrongful death lawsuit in the civil division. The personal representative must complete that appointment through probate before filing the lawsuit.

Who is involved affects your filing deadlines

Several public agencies maintain roads or operate transportation services in Arlington. Each has its own claim requirements and deadlines.

If the defendant is	The deadline
Arlington County, for a county street	Written notice within six months. A county has no mayor, so serve the County Attorney at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard.
VDOT, for I-66, I-395, Route 50, Route 29 or Glebe Road	Written notice within one year to the Commissioner of Highways, naming the agency alleged liable.
WMATA, for Metrorail or Metrobus	The Compact contains no notice-of-claim requirement at all. Two years, and the case can be removed to federal court as of right.
The National Park Service, for the George Washington Memorial Parkway	A federal claim, presented to the agency in writing within two years.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, at Reagan National	No notice statute reaches it. Two years, in Virginia courts.

ART, Arlington’s county bus service, is separate from WMATA. If you were injured on a bus, the operator determines which agency is involved and which deadlines apply. The county’s claim page does not mention the six-month deadline, does not name the County Attorney as recipient, and routes claimants to Risk Management and an outside administrator, neither of which is a recipient the statute names.

Frequently asked questions

Which court will hear my Arlington injury case?

Circuit or general district, depending on the amount, and both are in the Justice Center at 1425 North Courthouse Road. The amount you seek determines which court can hear your case, with thresholds of $4,500 and $50,000. Arlington shares the seventeenth circuit with the City of Falls Church.

I was hurt on Metro. How long do I have?

Two years, and there is no notice step. The WMATA Compact contains no notice-of-claim requirement, so the six-month figure often quoted does not apply. That six months is the District’s own rule for claims against the District, which is a different defendant.

I was hit on Route 50. Do I sue Arlington County or the Commonwealth?

Route 50 is state-maintained, so that is VDOT and the notice goes to the Commissioner of Highways within a year. County streets carry a six-month notice instead. If the crash was at an intersection of the two, serving both is the safe course.

The county told me to file a claim with Risk Management. Is that enough?

On its own, no. Section 15.2-209 names the county attorney, the chief executive or the mayor as recipients, and the county’s claim page names none of them or the six-month deadline. Send written notice to the County Attorney and keep proof of delivery.

I was hit walking across a bridge into D.C. Does Virginia law still apply?

It depends which bridge and where you were when it happened. Virginia bars recovery for any contributory negligence that was a proximate cause. The District applies a statutory exception for people walking and biking. Which side of the line the collision occurred on can decide the case.

I was hurt on the George Washington Parkway. Who is responsible for it?

The National Park Service, not VDOT and not the county. That makes a road-condition claim a federal one, presented to the agency in writing first. It also means no county or VDOT crash figure covers that road, because it is not in their data at all.