Crowe Law, LLC

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Crowe Law is a personal injury and criminal defense law firm serving the people of WV and PA

11/03/2026

Police Find Drugs in Your Friend's Car. Can You Be Charged Just for Being a Passenger?

Imagine riding through Morgantown, West Virginia, when police stop your friend's vehicle.
During a search, officers discover suspected illegal drugs in the center console. There are three people in the car. Nobody admits owning them.

Can everyone be convicted of drug possession?
Not simply because they were present. West Virginia recognizes a legal concept called constructive possession. That means someone may possess illegal drugs without physically holding them, but prosecutors must establish that the accused knew about the drugs and that they were subject to the accused's dominion and control.

Simply sitting near drugs doesn't automatically prove those elements. Important questions include where the drugs were found, who had access to them, what each person knew, and whether evidence connects a particular individual to the substances.

Those questions become even more significant when someone faces a felony possession with intent to deliver (PWID) charge. Crowe Law provides criminal defense representation in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia.

Attorney Patrick Crowe handles serious felony drug charges involving disputed possession, traffic stops, searches, and alleged drug distribution. An arrest is not a conviction. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

11/03/2026

The Car Accident Wasn't Your Fault. So Why Is the Hospital Sending YOU the Bill?

Imagine being injured in a car accident in Morgantown, West Virginia. Another driver causes the collision. You go to the emergency room, receive treatment, and file an insurance claim. Then the medical bills start arriving. But shouldn't the other driver's insurance be paying those bills?

Not necessarily right away.In many West Virginia personal injury claims, the responsible driver's liability insurer investigates and negotiates the claim rather than paying each medical bill as it arrives.

In the meantime, your own health insurance or applicable medical payments coverage (MedPay) may help with qualifying expenses.
But there's another issue many injured motorists overlook. If Medicare, Medicaid, or certain health insurance plans pay accident-related expenses, reimbursement obligations may need to be addressed when the case settles.

That means the settlement amount and the amount you ultimately receive may be different.
Crowe Law represents people injured in motor vehicle accidents in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia.
Attorney Patrick Crowe handles serious personal injury claims involving medical bills, insurance coverage disputes, and accident-related financial losses. Before settling a car accident claim, make sure you understand which medical bills remain outstanding and whether any repayment obligations apply.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

11/02/2026

The Insurance Company Says Your Back Injury Was Pre-Existing. Does That Mean You Don't Have a Car Accident Claim?

Imagine being injured in a car accident in Morgantown, West Virginia. You begin experiencing significant back pain, seek medical treatment, and file an insurance claim. Then the adjuster discovers you had back problems years before the collision.
The insurance company argues that your condition wasn't caused by the accident.
Does that automatically eliminate your injury claim? No.

Under West Virginia law, an injured person may pursue compensation when another driver's negligence aggravates or worsens a pre-existing medical condition. Here's the important distinction. An accident doesn't have to cause an entirely new injury to potentially create liability. It may worsen an existing one.

Medical records showing your condition before and after the collision, treatment history, physician opinions, and changes in your ability to work can all become important. An old MRI showing degeneration does not automatically establish that your current symptoms were unchanged by the crash. Crowe Law represents individuals injured in motor vehicle accidents in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia.

Attorney Patrick Crowe handles personal injury claims involving serious neck and back injuries, disputed medical causation, and insurance disputes. Before assuming a prior injury disqualifies you from pursuing compensation, consider whether the collision caused a medically supported worsening of your condition.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

11/02/2026

Police Say a Witness Identified You in a Robbery. But What If the Witness Picked the Wrong Person?

Imagine being accused of robbery in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Police tell you a witness selected your photograph from a lineup. But you maintain that you weren't involved. Does a witness identifying your picture automatically prove guilt? No.

West Virginia Code § 62-1E-2 addresses how police conduct eyewitness identification procedures. The law includes safeguards intended to reduce suggestive identification practices. For example, investigators should document the witness's original description, avoid influencing the selection, and record the witness's actual words concerning certainty or uncertainty.

West Virginia also prohibits police from conducting a photographic showup using only one photograph rather than a lineup.
Important questions include whether the witness had a reliable opportunity to observe the alleged offender and whether the identification procedure may have influenced the result.

An eyewitness can genuinely believe an identification is correct and still be mistaken.
Crowe Law provides criminal defense representation in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia. Attorney Patrick Crowe handles robbery and other serious felony cases involving disputed identification, witness testimony, and criminal evidence. An arrest is not a conviction. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

10/30/2026

Not Wearing a Seat Belt When Someone Crashes Into You? Can You Still Have a Personal Injury Claim in West Virginia?

Imagine being injured in a car accident on I-79 near Morgantown, West Virginia. Another driver causes the collision. But during the insurance investigation, the adjuster discovers you weren't wearing your seat belt. Does that automatically mean you cannot recover compensation? No.

Under West Virginia Code § 17C-15-49a, an injured adult driver's or passenger's failure to wear a seat belt generally cannot be used to prove they were negligent in causing the accident. But there's another important distinction.

In certain circumstances, the defense may introduce expert testimony to argue that not wearing a seat belt contributed to or worsened the person's injuries.

That's different from proving who caused the crash. West Virginia law also contains additional protections for injured child passengers and exceptions concerning certain impaired-driving and fleeing incidents.

The evidence matters. An insurance company cannot simply assume that every injury would have been avoided by wearing a seat belt.
Crowe Law represents individuals injured in car accidents in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia. Attorney Patrick Crowe handles serious personal injury claims involving disputed fault, insurance disputes, medical expenses, and accident-related injuries.

Before accepting an insurance company's conclusion about your injuries, it may be important to understand the distinction between causing an accident and allegedly contributing to the severity of an injury.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

10/30/2026

Police Have a Search Warrant for Your Morgantown Home. Can They Search Absolutely Everything?

Imagine police arrive at your home in Morgantown, West Virginia, with a search warrant. They search bedrooms, open drawers, examine containers, and seize property. Does a signed search warrant give officers unlimited authority to search everything inside? No.

Under West Virginia law, a search warrant must identify the place to be searched and the property or evidence being sought. Officers may generally examine areas where the items described in the warrant could reasonably be found.

But that authority has limits. And while police may sometimes seize evidence of another crime under the plain-view doctrine, that does not automatically authorize additional searches beyond the warrant's scope.
Important questions include:

What did the warrant actually authorize?
Where was the evidence found?
Did officers search places where the listed property could reasonably be located?
Was the seizure independently lawful?

Crowe Law provides criminal defense representation in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia.
Attorney Patrick Crowe handles serious felony cases involving search warrants, disputed evidence, drug allegations, and constitutional issues. An arrest is not a conviction. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

10/29/2026

You're Stopped on I-79. Someone Rear-Ends You and Pushes Your Car Into Another Vehicle. Are You Responsible?
Imagine traffic suddenly slows on Interstate 79 near Morgantown, West Virginia.
You stop safely behind another vehicle.
Seconds later, a driver crashes into the back of your car, pushing you into the vehicle ahead.
Now three vehicles are damaged.
The driver in front claims you rear-ended them.
But you were stopped before someone else pushed you forward.
Does that automatically make you responsible?
No.
Under West Virginia law, liability in a multi-car accident depends on the circumstances and evidence, not simply which vehicles made contact.
One of the most important questions is the sequence of impacts.
Did the middle vehicle strike the front car before being hit from behind? Or was it pushed forward by another driver?
Dash-camera footage, witness statements, vehicle damage, and police reports can help establish what happened.
West Virginia also recognizes comparative fault, meaning responsibility may involve more than one driver.
Crowe Law represents people injured in chain-reaction crashes and other motor vehicle accidents in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia.
Attorney Patrick Crowe handles serious personal injury claims involving disputed liability, medical expenses, lost wages, and insurance disputes.
Before accepting an insurance company's conclusion about who caused a multi-car accident, make sure the sequence of events and available evidence have been carefully evaluated.
Crowe Law
304-961-6338

10/29/2026

The Door Was Unlocked. Can You Still Be Charged With Felony Breaking and Entering in West Virginia?
Imagine someone walking into a closed business in Morgantown, West Virginia.
No broken window. No damaged lock. No forced entry.
Later, police accuse that person of entering the building intending to steal something.
Can that become a felony breaking and entering charge?
Potentially, yes.
Under West Virginia Code § 61-3-12, breaking and entering does not always require physically breaking into a building.
The law also addresses entering certain buildings without breaking, when accompanied by the intent to commit a felony or larceny.
But here's the important distinction.
Simply entering a building does not automatically establish the criminal intent required for the offense.
A criminal defense investigation may examine surveillance footage, permission to enter, witness statements, access records, and the person's alleged conduct.
And even if nothing was stolen, the prosecution may still attempt to establish that the required criminal intent existed.
Crowe Law provides criminal defense representation in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia.
Attorney Patrick Crowe handles felony breaking and entering, burglary, robbery, and other serious criminal allegations.
An arrest is not a conviction. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Crowe Law
304-961-6338

10/28/2026

Hit by a Food Delivery Driver in Morgantown? Their Personal Car Insurance Might Not Be the Only Coverage Available.

Imagine you're driving through Morgantown, West Virginia, when another vehicle crashes into you. You're injured, and the driver provides their personal auto insurance information.
Then you learn they were working through a food delivery app when the accident happened.
Why does that matter?

Because personal automobile insurance policies may exclude coverage when someone is using their vehicle to make deliveries. But West Virginia has specific insurance requirements for qualifying app-based delivery services.
Under West Virginia Code § 33-63-3, delivery network companies must ensure applicable liability insurance is in place during covered delivery periods.

And here's an important distinction.
The law addresses not only drivers actively delivering orders, but also qualifying periods when drivers are logged into an app and available to accept deliveries. That means what the driver was doing immediately before the accident can be important. Relevant evidence may include app activity records, police reports, and the exact time of the collision.

Crowe Law represents people injured in car accidents involving delivery drivers and other motorists in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia. Attorney Patrick Crowe handles serious personal injury claims involving disputed insurance coverage, medical expenses, and accident-related losses.
Before accepting that an insurance denial leaves you with no options, it may be important to identify every potentially applicable policy.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

10/28/2026

Arrested in Morgantown? That Phone Call to Your Family Could Become Evidence in Your Criminal Case.

Imagine being arrested on a felony charge in Morgantown, West Virginia.You arrive at a correctional facility and call a family member.
You explain what happened, discuss the allegations, and tell them why you believe you've been wrongly accused.But here's something important.

That telephone conversation may be recorded and later reviewed by investigators or prosecutors. Under West Virginia law, correctional authorities may record inmate telephone calls and disclose them to law enforcement under specified circumstances.

And under the West Virginia Rules of Evidence, a defendant's own statements may be used against them even when those statements were made to a family member rather than a police officer.

Conversations with an attorney have separate legal protections and should take place through designated confidential communication procedures.

A recorded statement does not automatically establish guilt. The context, accuracy, and admissibility of the recording may all matter.
Crowe Law provides criminal defense representation in Morgantown, Monongalia County, and throughout West Virginia.
Attorney Patrick Crowe handles serious felony matters involving disputed statements, recorded evidence, and criminal investigations.
An arrest is not a conviction. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Crowe Law
304-961-6338

Address

449 Fortress Boulevard STE 2302
Morgantown, WV
26508

Telephone

+13049616338

Website

http://Crowebarlaw.com/

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