When an Injury Changes Everything: How Families Cope After Catastrophic Accidents

Women's Journal Staff on April 2, 2026

By C. James Williams III, Principal — Burnett & Williams

The most tragic outcome of an accident is the death of the victim. In these cases, it is not just the victims who suffer but also their surviving family members, whose lives are fundamentally altered.

Fortunately, the legal system offers a way for victims’ loved ones to seek justice through a wrongful death lawsuit. When looking for a wrongful death lawyer, Virginia residents should seek someone with empathy, knowledge, and experience, as this will help them secure the compensation they deserve.

What Are Some Types of Wrongful Death Cases?

There are several types of wrongful death cases, including:

Car accidents: The most common type of wrongful death lawsuit involves car accidents. When another driver’s negligence causes a fatality, they could be held financially liable for the death, regardless of criminal charges.
Workplace accidents: Sometimes, a wrongful death occurs due to unsafe working conditions or when an employer neglects their responsibility to provide a safe working environment. A failure to provide necessary safety equipment could lead to wrongful death litigation.
Medical malpractice: Family members may seek legal recourse if a healthcare provider’s negligence leads to the death of a loved one. Examples include misdiagnosis, surgical errors, or prescribing incorrect medication.

What Damages Does a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Cover?

A wrongful death often causes significant financial hardship for the surviving loved ones. These deaths are often sudden and unexpected, making it especially difficult to prepare for the financial impact.

The initial median cost of a funeral is significant, with the average funeral cost being significant. Even if the deceased had life insurance to cover funeral costs, this money might instead go to support the family as they rebuild their lives.

Medical expenses are another burden following a wrongful death. Even though family members may not face collection action for the deceased’s medical bills, any unpaid bills may be paid out of the estate in probate. This can reduce the amount of inheritance the loved ones receive.

Wrongful death claims also seek compensation for future economic losses. For example, when the deceased was the primary earner, their family may face financial strain due to the loss of income. The goal of these claims is to provide families with support while they adjust to their new financial reality.

Additionally, if the deceased was responsible for tasks like childcare, cleaning, and cooking, the cost of hiring someone to perform these duties can place an undue financial burden on surviving loved ones. As a result, wrongful death attorneys often seek compensation for these future expenses.

While tangible losses are significant, family members may also experience intangible losses, such as the loss of companionship and the emotional pain that follows the death of a loved one. An experienced attorney will often pursue compensation for these emotional damages as well.

Why Consider Seeking Legal Guidance?

While no amount of money can replace a lost loved one, legal recourse can help families manage the financial consequences of a wrongful death. If you believe you may be entitled to compensation, it may be worthwhile to consult with professionals experienced in wrongful death cases. They can provide guidance on navigating the complex legal process and ensure that your rights are protected during this challenging time.

— Jim Williams is a summa cum laude graduate of George Mason University School of Law who began his legal career with a prestigious assignment as a law clerk to a US District Court Judge. He practiced at Gentry, Locke, Rakes, and Moore in Roanoke and at Morris & Morris in Richmond before becoming litigation counsel for Progressive Insurance Company. With Progressive, he gained extensive experience as a trial attorney, giving him wide-ranging expertise in the complexities of Virginia insurance law and knowledge of how the defense side approaches litigation. Jim Williams joined Burnett & Williams in 2006 as the lead partner in the Richmond area, with offices in Midlothian and Hopewell, Virginia.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice tailored to your specific situation, please consult a qualified legal professional.

Eva Longoria Launches Global Initiative to Empower Women Entrepreneurs

Womens Journal Staff 2 on April 2, 2026

Eva Longoria announced the launch of a groundbreaking global initiative in collaboration with Lenovo called Backing Every Business. This initiative is designed to provide crucial support to women entrepreneurs worldwide, focusing on mentorship, grant funding, and access to cutting-edge AI-powered tools. With women consistently facing barriers in the entrepreneurial landscape, this program aims to level the playing field by offering both financial assistance and technological resources.

A Comprehensive Approach to Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

The Backing Every Business initiative is structured around a comprehensive three-pronged support system aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs globally:

Mentorship Opportunities: Entrepreneurs will receive personalized mentorship from Longoria and a network of industry leaders. Through tailored guidance, women founders will be better equipped to navigate the challenges of growing their businesses.
Non-Debt Grant Funding: Selected participants will have access to grant funding, allowing them to expand their businesses without incurring debt. This is a crucial component, as many women entrepreneurs struggle with accessing traditional funding avenues, including venture capital.
AI-Enabled Tools: The initiative will provide participants with AI-powered tools designed to improve digital transformation and streamline business operations. These tools will support small enterprises in areas such as marketing automation, financial management, and customer engagement.

Applications for the program are open worldwide, allowing entrepreneurs to apply through Lenovo’s platform. The program also incorporates an innovative mentorship model known as “business twins,” pairing entrepreneurs with mentors and resources that are specifically tailored to their business needs.

Addressing the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurs have long faced significant barriers, including limited access to capital and mentorship. Data shows that globally, women-led businesses receive just 2-3% of venture capital funding, a stark contrast to the levels of funding received by male entrepreneurs. Moreover, many women-owned businesses are constrained by a lack of access to affordable technology solutions, making it difficult for them to scale.

In the U.S., women own nearly 40% of new businesses, but remain underrepresented in high-growth sectors like technology and finance. The disparity is even more pronounced in Europe, where women founders receive only 1.8% of venture capital funding. In regions like Latin America, women entrepreneurs often rely on informal lending networks due to limited access to formal financial institutions.

By providing women entrepreneurs with both financial resources and technological support, the Backing Every Business initiative aims to close these gaps and drive meaningful change.

Impact on Global Markets

Women-owned businesses are among the fastest-growing sectors of entrepreneurship. In regions like Asia, women entrepreneurs are driving growth in e-commerce and consumer services, while in Africa, women account for a significant portion of small business ownership, particularly in agriculture and retail sectors.

For instance, in Africa, women represent 58% of small business owners, with many focusing on sectors that are crucial to local economies. Initiatives like Backing Every Business play a critical role in accelerating this trend by addressing structural barriers and providing essential resources for scaling businesses.

Studies show that women founders with access to mentorship networks are more likely to secure funding and grow their businesses. In fact, they are three times more likely to secure funding and twice as likely to scale their businesses successfully. By pairing mentorship with AI-powered tools, the Backing Every Business initiative hopes to deliver measurable improvements in business outcomes for women entrepreneurs.

Corporate Partnerships Driving Change

The Backing Every Business initiative is just one example of how corporate partnerships are expanding to support entrepreneurship. In recent years, companies like Google and Microsoft have launched their own initiatives to empower women entrepreneurs. These programs typically focus on offering training, mentorship, and access to technology, which are essential for business growth.

What sets Longoria’s collaboration with Lenovo apart is the combination of celebrity advocacy with corporate resources, providing a platform that is both high-visibility and globally accessible. Lenovo’s involvement underscores the growing importance of technology companies not just as hardware suppliers but as integral players in driving entrepreneurship.

Regional Case Studies Highlight the Need for Support

California: A Hub for Women Entrepreneurs in Health Tech

In California, women entrepreneurs are making significant strides in sectors like health tech and consumer services. Programs offering mentorship and funding have proven effective, with women-owned startups in the state having a 65% survival rate after five years, compared to the 50% national average.

India: Driving Digital Commerce

In India, women entrepreneurs are playing a pivotal role in the growth of digital commerce. As of 2025, 14% of new tech ventures in the country were led by women, underscoring their impact in the growing e-commerce sector. The combination of funding and access to AI tools has been crucial in enabling these entrepreneurs to scale their businesses rapidly.

Latin America: Overcoming Financial Gaps

In Latin America, women entrepreneurs face substantial challenges in accessing traditional financing. A 2025 report revealed that women-owned businesses in Mexico and Brazil were 40% less likely to secure bank loans compared to their male counterparts. With limited access to formal financial institutions, women often turn to informal lending networks. Initiatives like Backing Every Business aim to provide alternative funding pathways to address these gaps.

Why Women Are Choosing Drug-Free Non-Surgical Solutions for Disc and Nerve Pain And Why It Matters for Long-Term Health

Women's Journal Staff on April 2, 2026

By: Dr. Jeffrey N. Shebovsky | ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin | Winter Garden, Florida

Non-surgical disc decompression combined with Class IV medical-grade laser therapy is a clinically supported, drug-free alternative to back surgery for patients with herniated discs, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, and chronic nerve pain. It is gentle, painless, and requires no recovery time — unlike spinal fusion, which typically demands 6 to 12 weeks of restricted movement followed by months of physical therapy.

THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: Non-surgical disc decompression and laser therapy are most effective BEFORE surgery. Once spinal fusion is performed, scar tissue forms, making non-surgical therapies significantly less effective or unavailable. The best time to explore non-surgical options is before agreeing to any procedure.

At ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin in Winter Garden, Florida, and the greater Orlando area, Dr. Jeffrey N. Shebovsky works with patients throughout Central Florida who have often spent months or years searching for a lasting answer to disc and nerve pain. For many of those patients, that answer was available the entire time — they simply were not pointed toward it first.

Why Are Women Particularly Affected by Disc and Nerve Pain?

The most valuable step a patient with disc or nerve pain can take today is a consultation to determine whether the window for non-surgical care is still open. At ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin, that conversation is direct and honest. If non-surgical disc decompression can help, the protocol is explained clearly. If it cannot, the patient is told that too. Help the body reduce agonizing inflammation, swelling, and pain while speeding the repair and healing process. Get to the root cause versus masking symptoms.

What Is Non-Surgical Disc Decompression and Why Is It Safe for Women?

Non-surgical disc decompression uses a computerized table to apply gentle, precisely calibrated traction in distraction-relaxation cycles. This cycling prevents the body’s reflex to tighten against the pull — the critical flaw of older traction methods — and creates negative pressure inside the disc. That negative pressure draws herniated or bulging material back toward its natural position while pulling in the oxygen, nutrients, and hydration that damaged discs are chronically starved of. Sessions are approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Patients throughout Central Florida have access to this protocol at ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin in Winter Garden, Florida and the greater Orlando area. Patients throughout Central Florida who are exploring non-surgical options will find this approach available at ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin in Winter Garden, Florida and the greater Orlando area.

Non-Surgical vs. Surgical: The Side-by-Side Comparison

Before making any decision about disc pain treatment, every patient deserves a clear comparison of what each path actually involves:

How Does Class IV Laser Therapy Support Drug-Free Healing for Women?

What separates Class IV laser therapy from any other pain treatment is its ability to work at the cellular level. It delivers medical-grade light energy deep into affected spinal tissue, triggering photobiomodulation — a scientifically documented process in which light absorbed by cellular mitochondria activates repair mechanisms that speed healing, reduce inflammation, and restore function at the biological root of the problem. This is not symptom management. It is cellular recovery. Combined with disc decompression, the two therapies create a compounding healing effect that neither can achieve alone.

What Disc and Nerve Conditions Are Most Common Among Women?

Non-surgical disc decompression candidates typically include patients with herniated or bulging discs, degenerative disc conditions, sciatica, radiating nerve pain, and facet joint dysfunction. The window for the best outcomes is open right now — before surgery, before scar tissue, before the body’s natural healing response has been diminished by prolonged medication dependence. Patients from throughout Central Florida receive individualized evaluations at ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin to confirm candidacy before any protocol is recommended.

Why Does Long-Term Drug Dependence Carry Specific Risks for Women’s Health?

Spinal surgery carries documented risks that are too rarely discussed before consent. Failed back surgery syndrome — persistent pain following spinal procedures — is a recognized clinical reality. Spinal fusion permanently limits mobility and increases mechanical stress on adjacent vertebral levels, a complication known as adjacent segment disease that may require additional surgery. These outcomes are not rare. For patients in Central Florida who have not yet exhausted conservative options, the evidence strongly supports non-surgical decompression therapy before agreeing to an irreversible procedure.

How Do Women Begin Exploring Non-Surgical Disc and Nerve Care?

Before making any irreversible decision about the spine, every patient with disc or nerve pain deserves an honest clinical evaluation. At ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin, that evaluation reviews imaging, assesses the condition, and provides a direct answer about whether non-surgical care is a fit. The window to pursue conservative care is open right now — before surgery, before scar tissue, before options narrow. Visit reliefnowlaser.com/providers/hamlin. Learn more at reliefnowlaser.com. Watch patient education at youtube.com/@ReliefNowNation. Contact ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin in Winter Garden, Florida and the greater Orlando area to find out how to avoid the knife and reduce or eliminate the drugs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jeffrey N. Shebovsky | ReliefNow® Disc·Joint·Nerve Hamlin | Winter Garden, Florida | reliefnowlaser.com/providers/hamlin

Disclaimer: The results of non-surgical treatments such as disc decompression and laser therapy may vary. Always consult with a healthcare professional to determine the best treatment option for your individual condition. All metrics provided in this article, including success rates and recovery times, are based on general data and may vary depending on individual health conditions and circumstances.