Did you get hurt in a car accident? Do you need help recovering compensation? If so, contact DeMayo Law Offices, Your North Carolina Law Firm™, to schedule a free consultation. Our legal team is available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide legal advice.
Unfortunately, car accidents in North Carolina are a common occurrence. According to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, there were 114,722 people injured in motor vehicle accidents in 2021 and 1,783 fatalities.
Our Hickory car accident attorneys are ready to help you put your life back together. We’ll handle all the legal work in your case so you can focus on recovering. When you hire us, we’ll thoroughly investigate the crash to help prove the other driver was responsible.
At DeMayo Law Offices, Your North Carolina Law Firm™, we have the experience, resources, and skills to handle your car accident case. Our Hickory personal injury lawyers have over 150 years of combined legal experience. We understand the steps we need to take for a car accident victim to ensure the recovery of financial compensation. Call us at (828) 818-8459 to find out more about our services and how we can assist you in pursuing the justice you deserve.
Car Accident Cases We Handle
The following are some of the most common types of car accident cases we handle:
- Accident with an underinsured/uninsured driver
- Car/mechanical defects
- Distracted driving/texting while driving
- Drugged driver accidents
- Drunk driver accidents
- Hit and run accidents
- Rear-end collisions
- Road defects
- Speeding accidents
The cases we handle are certainly not limited to this list. We’re ready to discuss the cause and details related to your own car accident.
For a free legal consultation with a car accident lawyer serving Hickory, call (877) 333-1000
What You Should and Shouldn’t Do After a Car Accident
After sustaining an injury in a car wreck, it is important to take all the right steps, if not, the outcome of your case could be affected. It’s hard to know what to do and what not to do. Any mistake you make could cause problems and decrease your chance of receiving the maximum settlement. If you follow the steps below, you might be able to avoid the common pitfalls of a car accident case:
- At the scene of the accident, you should:
- Call 911 or the police and request a copy of the police accident report.
- Collect contact and insurance information from the other drivers, as well as contact information from witnesses.
- Document the scene, if you can: Take photos or videos of the accident and injuries and note the positions of the vehicles, any traffic lights or stop signs, the weather, the traffic, etc.
- Seek medical treatment right away and don’t skip or delay doctor appointments. Insurance carriers always look for reasons to deny claims. If you’re not treating your injuries regularly, they’ll assume your injury isn’t severe and you don’t deserve compensation.
- Confirm that all your doctors noted your injury and the treatment you need in your medical records. If there’s no reference to the injury, the insurance company might deny your claim from a lack of sufficient evidence.
- Provide your medical providers with your health insurance information. Often, the at-fault motorist’s liability insurance won’t pay for medical bills until the case settles. If you don’t pay your bills, they could end up in collections. Your medical insurance carrier can pay upfront for the cost of your treatment and then the liability carrier can reimburse the expense.
- Keep copies of all of your medical records and related expenses, even receipts for prescribed medications.
- Keep copies of all records related to your lost wages, such as past paystubs. Request notes from your doctors when you need to miss work because of your treatment.
- Don’t accept a settlement from the insurance company until you review the offer with your attorney first. Insurance companies will usually try to offer you a low settlement to save money. However, your attorney will investigate your case to determine the total compensation you’re owed and take into account the possibility of future medical expenses. If you settle with the insurance company too quickly, you may end up paying for treatment out of your own pocket.
Hickory Car Accident Lawyer Near Me (877) 333-1000
Who Will Pay for My Car Accident Damages?
If you get hurt because of another driver’s negligence, you can file a claim with their liability insurance company. All motorists in North Carolina must carry car insurance with minimum bodily injury and property damage limits. Those limits are supposed to cover the victim’s economic and non-economic damages.
When someone causes a car wreck that leads to injuries, they are generally financially responsible. Typically, their insurance company will pay for the injured individual’s damages through an insurance claim settlement. If you want to file a claim, you should do so immediately after the crash occurs. The sooner you file, the sooner you can win compensation to pay for your expenses.
The damages available in a car accident claim usually include:
- Hospital, doctor, and physical therapy bills
- Cost of recovering from the injury
- Out of pocket expenses
- Lost wages
- Vehicle repairs
- Damage to personal property
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional pain
- Loss of companionship or consortium
Click to contact our Hickory Personal Injury Lawyers today
Injuries That Qualify You for a Car Accident Claim
Even if you have minor injuries, you can still file an insurance claim for compensation. Any injury that requires medical treatment makes you eligible to pursue a car accident case. Even if you only treat for a few months, you could potentially receive a settlement that covers the costs. Of course, the more serious the injury, the higher settlement you could receive.
The most common injuries car collision victims sustain include:
- Traumatic brain injury: A driver’s or passenger’s head could smash against the window or steering wheel during impact, injuring the head, which could become fatal. Typical symptoms of a traumatic brain injury include memory problems, confusion, headaches, and many others. Sometimes this type of injury can result in a permanent or long-term disability.
- Broken bones: If you break a bone, it could end up costing a lot of money in medical bills. A broken bone often requires surgery, physical therapy, and procedures that you need to undergo regularly over a long period.
- Spinal injury: Spinal cord damage can be permanent and lead to paralysis. If you become paralyzed, you might require long-term care, such as a home health nurse, and might be unable to return to work. The loss of income can create stress because you won’t be able to pay your bills or support your family.
- Musculoskeletal injury: When you collide with another vehicle, there’s a change in momentum that your body might be unable to handle. That sudden shift can damage soft tissue, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. They’re painful injuries with symptoms that can last for weeks, months, or a lifetime.
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Statute of Limitations in North Carolina
Every state has a statute of limitations for specific accidents and injuries. It’s a strict deadline for injured car accident victims to follow if they want to pursue civil action against another party. For a car accident in North Carolina, the statute of limitations is three years. You only have three years from the collision date to file a lawsuit against the negligent party.
If too much time passes and you miss the statute, you won’t be able to sue the party responsible for your injury. If you decide to start your case with an insurance claim, you should file it immediately after the crash. If the insurance company denies your claim or won’t settle for a fair amount of money, you could move forward with a lawsuit.
Unfortunately, some claims can take well over a year to reach some type of resolution. If by then the statute passes, you won’t have the chance to pursue a lawsuit. That’s why it’s crucial to begin working on your case as soon as possible so you don’t run out of time. An experienced car accident attorney can effectively challenge insurance companies and fight for fair compensation in your personal injury claim.
FAQs
Our Hickory car accidents lawyers are happy to review questions related to your accident in detail, but the following answers to common questions we receive may be helpful.
How much does a Hickory, NC, car accident attorney charge?
DeMayo Law Offices, doesn’t charge upfront fees or costs. When we take your case, you won’t have to worry about receiving invoices for our time. We don’t take our legal fees unless we recover compensation for you. If you don’t get paid, we don’t get paid.
What’s the value of my case?
The value of your case depends on the following factors:
- Extent and severity of your injury
- The time it takes to recover
- Total economic damages
- Sufficient evidence available
- If a permanent disability resulted from the injury
- Pain and suffering you endured
- Amount of liability coverage on the at-fault driver’s insurance policy
How long does a car accident case take?
The length of a claim depends on multiple factors. If you are severely injured and require months of physical therapy, we may not be able to settle your case until you finish treatment, or until your physicians have a strong sense of the future care that may be required. We need to know the economic damages you incurred before requesting payment from the insurance carrier.
What if I’m partially at fault for the accident?
North Carolina follows a contributory negligence rule. Under this rule, the victim of a car crash cannot pursue any compensation from the negligent driver if they share any amount of blame. Even if you’re 10% at fault for the accident because you were texting, you still can’t file a claim or lawsuit from the at-fault party. This is why it’s so important to have a skilled attorney on your side who can help prove that you had no fault in your accident.
Why Choose DeMayo Law Offices
DeMayo Law Offices and our Hickory, NC, car accident attorneys are ready to take on your case and fight for your rights. We care about our clients and will help you pursue the compensation you need to pay for your expenses. You should be able to hold the liable party accountable for their actions.
Our Hickory car crash attorneys have decades of experience taking on car accident cases like yours. We have the necessary resources at our disposal, and will use them to help you seek the justice you deserve. We’ll remain by your side from the beginning to the end of your case. Our team will work hard to reach your goals. We dedicate our time and attention to each client to ensure their needs are met.
Call DeMayo Law Offices, Your North Carolina Law Firm™, today and discuss your options after sustaining an injury in a car wreck.
Call or text (877) 333-1000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
