Serious car crashes on North Carolina highways can leave people with life-changing injuries. After a high-speed car accident, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by hospital bills, missed work, and insurance companies that pressure you to settle fast. Thankfully, you have access to legal guidance and support in the form of a highway accident lawyer in Charlotte.
In pain after a Charlotte highway accident that may have been caused by someone else? Call Shane! The team at Shane Smith Law has more than 100 years of combined experience. Our personal injury law firm can handle your highway accident claim or lawsuit as you prioritize your recovery from the harm that you suffered.
Let our car accident lawyer in Charlotte help you with your highway collision case. Contact us today to get started.
Why Hire a Lawyer for Your Highway Accident Case in Charlotte, NC?
Hire a highway accident attorney in Charlotte to pursue compensation from anyone who may be liable for your auto collision and injuries.
Some of the ways that your lawyer can help with your personal injury case include:
- Investigating your case. Your personal injury lawyer in Charlotte can try to obtain video footage of your car accident, interview people who saw the incident, read police reports, and take other steps to perform an investigation. This can help your attorney find out how your auto accident happened and determine liability.
- Gathering evidence. To build your case for compensation for your injuries and other losses, Charlotte car accident attorneys can collect witness statements, accident scene photos and videos, traffic or dashcam footage of the incident, medical records, police reports, and other evidence. If your attorney has strong evidence, it may become increasingly difficult for any liable parties to challenge your case.
- Negotiating a settlement. You wonder whether you should accept the insurance company’s first settlement offer after a Charlotte car accident. With your attorney’s help, you can weigh an insurance settlement offer’s pros and cons and make an informed decision on it.
- Representing you in court. If a trial is necessary to resolve your case, your lawyer can bring your case in front of a judge or jury. At this time, they can argue how the defendant acted negligently and should pay compensatory damages for your car accident injuries and other losses.
- Addressing your legal concerns and questions. At each stage of your litigation, your lawyer remains accessible. They can provide you with FAQs and other resources to help you as your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit moves forward.
Shane Smith Law is a personal injury law firm that has secured over $250 million in compensation for our clients in just the last five years. Our Charlotte car accident lawyers will evaluate your highway crash case on its merits. From here, we can look for ways to achieve your desired case results.
To learn more, request a free and confidential case consultation.
For a free legal consultation with a highway accident lawyer serving Charlotte, call (980) 246-2656
How Much Money Can You Get in a Highway Accident Lawsuit in Charlotte, NC?
The types of damages available in a personal injury lawsuit cover tangible and intangible losses.
Your Charlotte highway accident lawyer will account for your economic and non-economic damages, such as:
- Pain and suffering: You can ask for compensation for your physical discomfort, emotional distress, and other pain and suffering that you experience relating to your highway accident injuries.
- Medical bills: Provide your lawyer with details about what you’re spending on medical treatments for your concussion, broken bones, internal organ damage, or other injuries from your highway accident. This will allow your attorney to incorporate your medical care expenses for your injuries into your damages request.
- Lost wages: If a spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or another catastrophic injury from your auto accident prevents you from working, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your loss of income.
- Property damage: Keep track of your car repair costs and other expenses that you incur if your property was damaged in a highway collision. Your lawyer can use this information to prepare an argument designed to help you get maximum compensation for your car accident losses.
In North Carolina, for most personal injury lawsuits, the statute of limitations is three years. With this, you typically have up to three years from the date of a motor vehicle accident to sue any liable parties for damages.
If you meet the criteria to file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of a deceased person (decedent), the statute of limitations to do so is generally two years.
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Should You Accept a Highway Accident Settlement?
If you file an insurance claim for a highway accident, the insurance company of the other party involved in the incident could offer a settlement. The proposal may seem fair and reasonable. But if you’re not careful, you could wind up accepting a lowball settlement. If this happens, you may have to cover some or most of your auto accident losses out of pocket.
Your Charlotte highway accident attorney is familiar with insurance settlement tactics, including the ones that insurance companies often use to dispute and deny claims. They can negotiate the terms of your insurance settlement for you. If an insurance company offers a settlement, you have the option to review it with your lawyer before you make your final decision.
Remember, you can ask an insurance adjuster how they came up with their claim value and do other things to help you analyze a settlement proposal. Ultimately, if you feel a settlement does not compensate you adequately, your lawyer may recommend taking your case to trial. If they do, they can argue to a judge or jury how a party was negligent.
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How to Prove Negligence in a Highway Accident Case
If you consult with highway accident lawyers in Charlotte, it can be beneficial to discuss how negligence is proven in a personal injury case. Your attorney can provide you with insights into the elements of negligence as they relate to the circumstances of your highway accident.
Below are details about these elements:
Duty of Care
A duty of care refers to a legal obligation to avoid any acts that could put others in danger. For example, motorists who drive on Interstate 85 (I-85), Interstate 77 (I-77), and other Charlotte highways have a duty to follow the rules of the road.
Otherwise, if a motorist acts carelessly or recklessly, they could cause a car accident and be held liable.
Breach of Duty of Care
Someone breaches their duty of care when they engage in an activity that most people would consider careless or reckless. If a motorist traveling on a Charlotte highway is speeding, driving while distracted, or committing other dangerous acts, they are violating their duty to others.
Causation
In your case, your personal injury attorney could highlight how a party’s violation of their duty of care contributed to your car accident on a Charlotte highway, injuries, and damages. As part of your lawyer’s efforts to argue your case, they could provide a judge or jury with crash reports and other evidence that illustrates how someone may have caused your accident.
Damages
Your lawyer may use your auto repair estimates, pay stubs, medical bills, and other documentation to show the court how your car accident has affected you financially. This can help your lawyer describe to a judge or jury why your damages request is warranted.
If your attorney can make it clear to a judge or jury that another party’s actions played a role in your car accident, you may be well-equipped to get damages. On the other hand, if the court finds that you’re partly liable for your accident, you may be barred from receiving compensation.
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How Can North Carolina’s Pure Contributory Negligence Rule Affect the Outcome of Your Highway Accident Case?
North Carolina has a pure contributory negligence rule, which can dictate whether you get compensatory damages in your highway accident case. Because of this rule, if a judge or jury finds that you’re even 1% at fault for your car accident on a Charlotte highway, you may not be compensated for your losses.
For instance, you file a lawsuit against a driver who may have been texting while driving when your highway collision happened. The defendant argues that you were speeding on the highway and could not stop in time to prevent the car accident. Both parties may share responsibility for the incident. Regardless, if the court finds that you’re partially at fault, you likely won’t be able to obtain damages.
Highway accident attorneys in Charlotte can teach you about pure contributory negligence. If your lawyer presents your case to a judge or jury, they want to demonstrate to a judge or jury that you’re not to blame for your car accident.
When to File a Wrongful Death Highway Accident Claim or Lawsuit
Sadly, a family member is involved in a fatal highway accident. The incident is devastating for you and your loved ones. Filing a wrongful death claim or lawsuit may not be a consideration for you and your family in the aftermath of your tragic loss. Yet, this could be an opportunity for you and your loved ones to pursue justice and damages from any liable parties.
Charlotte highway accident attorneys with wrongful death case experience empathize with you and your loved ones as you cope with your loss. They can determine if you’re eligible to file a wrongful death claim or lawsuit based on your family member’s fatal highway accident. If so, they will treat your legal matters with care.
Your wrongful death attorney can work to get you a settlement that covers your family member’s burial and funeral expenses and other losses. Alternatively, if your case requires a trial, your lawyer can explain to a judge or jury why you should be awarded damages.
Why Do Highway Collisions Happen?
You drive cautiously on North Carolina highways. However, you have no control over other parties’ actions. If you are injured in a car accident on a highway, have Charlotte highway accident lawyers assess your case.
Your attorney wants you to focus on your recovery as they get to the root of your accident, which may have occurred for any of the following reasons:
- Distracted driving: A motorist who eats, drinks, texts, or does things other than focus on safe travel can cause a distracted driving accident on a Charlotte highway. This individual or their insurance company may be responsible for the losses of anyone harmed during the accident.
- Speeding: If a motorist drives faster than the posted speed limit on the highway, they could crash their vehicle into yours. This can cause property damage and injuries, and the other driver who was involved in your speeding accident or their insurer may have to compensate you accordingly.
- Impaired driving: When an impaired driver causes an accident on a highway, they may have to deal with the ramifications of their actions. If this motorist is found to be fully liable for the motor vehicle accident, they or their insurer may have to provide compensation to others involved.
- Aggressive driving: Tailgating, failing to signal, and rapid lane changes are three examples of aggressive driving that sometimes take place on highways. If a motorist does any of these things or commits other acts of aggressive driving, they could get into an accident and have to cover the losses of those injured during the incident.
If your highway crash occurs for these or other reasons, it may be helpful to speak with a personal injury lawyer who has earned positive client testimonials from people who have been in situations similar to yours. This attorney may advise you to take legal action against any liable parties and to begin the process of filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit promptly.
Our Charlotte, NC, Highway Accident Lawyers Genuinely Care About You and Your Case
You are worried about how you will pay to treat your injuries from your rear-end accident, multi-vehicle accident, head-on collision, or another type of auto accident on a Charlotte highway. Talk with Charlotte, NC, highway accident attorneys about the incident. Depending on your situation, your lawyer may help you get compensation from any at-fault parties.
Shane Smith Law has served over 10,000 clients, including those who have suffered injuries in motor vehicle accidents on North Carolina highways and their families. Our Charlotte car accident lawyers are ready to help you with your highway collision case.
Our personal injury attorneys can assist you with your highway accident claim or lawsuit. For more information, schedule a free and confidential case consultation.
Call or text (980) 246-2656 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
