Car and Truck Accidents/Personal Injury Law in North Carolina (NC)

Virginia (VA) Truck Accident Injury Lawyers
Offices in VA Beach, Hampton & Elizabeth City, NC 


On the surface, car and truck accidental injuries might seem similar. Another driver makes a mistake, there's a squeal of breaks and shattering glass, and in mere seconds you are left shocked, confused, and suffering from personal injuries. It shouldn't matter when it comes to my case, you might think, whether a truck or any other vehicle/car/SUV caused the accident and personal injuries. Here are just a few ways in which a truck accident is different from a car accident:

1. Trucks (sometimes called "big rigs," semi's, 18 wheelers, or tractor-trailers) weigh considerably more than cars, and can therefore cause considerably more damage, and more serious personal injuries or deaths. While the average American car weighs just over 4,000 pounds, a fully loaded commercial tractor-trailer can weight up to 80,000 pounds. This means that they are harder to slow down, harder to control, and make a much bigger impact when they crash. You are more likely to become seriously injured or die in a truck-related collision.

2. Trucks are not driven by private individuals, but rather by employees. This makes it much more difficult to ascertain who was liable for the accident and whose insurance company should cover the damages. Often one company will hire the driver, another company will own the cab, and a third company will own the trailer and contents. Figuring out whose actions are to blame and who should compensate is very muddled and complicated. Commercial semis are like small rolling businesses - and it can be much harder to go into a legal battle with a company than with an individual.

3. Trucks have large blind spots that can cause serious accidents when the vehicles are turning, backing up, or changing lanes.

4. Trucker and truck operators are subject to a number of strict state and federal regulations. Trucks must be inspected frequently since truck brakes wear out quickly and other mechanical malfunctions are common. Truckers must keep detailed logs and cannot drive for long stretches of time. If you have a knowledgably attorney, you can use this information and evidence to you advantage.

5. Given their occupation, big rig and semi drivers are susceptible to fatigue, prescription drug use, non-prescription drug use, carelessness, and reckless driving. Truck driving can be a high-pressure job with tight deadlines, and the cost of those pressures is often accidents and injuries'

North Carolina (NC): Summary and Facts

With beautiful beaches, mountains, and plains, there is something for everyone in North Carolina (NC). The state is a perfect blend of "just rights" - the temperature is mild but not especially humid. The state has many of its old traditions, such as furniture making and tobacco farms, but also has reached into the future with its new finance and technology centers. Tourist can enjoy whitewater rafting, eclectic nightlife, scenic drives, beach house stays, hunting, golf, and kayaking. More than that, they can take advantage of a number of historical sites, as well as all of the southern hospitality of the area.

Capitol: Raleigh. Other major cities: Asheville, Cary, Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Gastonia, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, High Point, Jacksonville, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem.

Population: North Carolina (NC) has a population of over 8,850,000, with a healthy growth rate of 10 percent over the last six years.

State Slogan: First In Flight

History: One of the earliest places in America to be colonized, North Carolina (NC) was populated by English colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585. The settlement of Roanoke Island was not a success. The first permanent settlers were not installed until almost 80 years later. Though North Carolina (NC) played a small role in the American Revolution, it had a bigger part in the Civil War, where it was pressured to join the Confederacy despite its slightly Northern leaning concerning banning slavery and other Union ideas. Today, North Carolina (NC) is a rich mix of agriculture, manufacturing, and technology industries.

Climate: Located on the Atlantic Coast, the shores of North Carolina (NC) are kept mild in the winter and warm in the summer - summertime highs in the beach hover around 90 degrees while wintertime lows rarely go below the freezing point. The coastal plain rarely sees more than an inch of snow a year. Moving inland, the seasons are more defined, with temperatures fluctuating more and with sleet and freezing rain much more common. In the mountains cooler weather can be found due to altitude, with 20 inches of snowfall per year and summers with temperatures in the 70s. Across the state severe weather is rare, with a mild mix of tropical storms, thunderstorms, and a rare hurricane.
The major interstate highways in North Carolina (NC) include I-26, I-40, I-85, I-74, I-73, I-77, I-85, and I-95.

Interstate 26 is a major southeastern roadway that runs diagonally northwest to southeast. It travels through North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), and Tennessee. The highway enters North Carolina (NC) at Polk County and passes through Columbus, Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Fletcher, Arden, and Asheville. It includes the Peter Cuice Memorial Bridge, which passes over the Green River.

Interstate 40 -the Eastern terminus is in Wilmington, while in the west it ends at the Tennessee state line. Since the vast majority of the highway is in North Carolina (NC), and since it connects the Big Four sports universities in the area, it is often called "Tobacco Road." I-40 runs through Knoxville, TN, Asheville, Hickory, Statesville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Burlington, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Benson, and Wilmington.

Interstate 85 crosses North Carolina (NC) for 233 miles from South Carolina (SC) to North Carolina (NC). It is the second longest interstate in North Carolina (NC), next to Interstate 40. I-85 passes the major cities of Gastonia, Charlotte, Concord, Kannapolis, Salisbury, Lexington, Thomasville, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, and Henderson.

Interstate 73 Although called an interstate, I-73 is wholly contained in the state of North Carolina (NC). It is a newer freeway that is not yet complete - in the future, it will run from South Carolina (SC) to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Currently, though, only pieces of the road exist in Candor, Ulah, Greensboro, and Ellerbe. The most used part is the Greensboro Urban loop.

Interstate 74 Like I-73, I-74 is not yet completed and only exists in several disconnected pieces of road. Currently, I-74 runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati, Ohio, and also contains several floating pieces in North Carolina (NC). One piece runs from I-77 to US 53 south of Mount Airy. Another is an overlap of I-73 and US 220 from Asheboro to Candor. A third and final segment exists in the south of the state from Laurinburg to NC 710 near Pembroke.

Interstate 77 is considered the best north-south highways for crossing the Appalachian Mountains. At its northern end, the road ends in Cleveland when it junctions with I-90. At its southern end, its terminus is in South Carolina (SC). In North Carolina (NC), the road comes up through downtown Charlotte followed by Lake Norman, Hutersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville. Finally, it intersects I-40 and I-74 before leaving the state.

Interstate 95 is the major north-south thruway on the east coast, running from Maine to Florida. In North Carolina (NC), it runs from Rowland to Roanoke Rapids in the eastern third of the state. Highway 301 runs parallel to I-95, which also passes through Lumberton, Fayetteville, Benson, and Rocky Mount.

The Counties of North Carolina (NC)

Alamance County, Alexander County, Alleghany County, Anson County, Ashe County, Avery County, Beaufort County, Bertie County, Bladen County, Brunswick County, Buncombe County, Burke County, Cabarrus County, Caldwell County, Camden County, Carteret County, Caswell County, Catawba County, Chatham County, Cherokee County, Chowan County, Clay County, Cleveland County, Columbus County, Craven County, Cumberland County, Currituck County, Dare County, Davidson County, Davie County, Duplin County, Durham County, Edgecombe County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Gaston County, Gates County, Graham County, Granville County, Greene County, Guilford County, Halifax County, Harnett County, Haywood County, Henderson County, Hertford County, Hoke County, Hyde County, Iredell County, Jackson County, Johnston County, Jones County, Lee County, Lenoir County, Lincoln County, Macon County, Madison County, Martin County, McDowell County, Mecklenburg County, Mitchell County, Montgomery County, Moore County, Nash County, New Hanover County, Northampton County, Onslow County, Orange County, Pamlico County, Pasquotank County, Pender County, Perquimans County, Person County, Pitt County, Polk County, Randolph County, Richmond County, Robeson County, Rockingham County, Rowan County, Rutherford County, Sampson County, Stanly County, Stokes County, Surry County, Swain County, Transylvania County, Tyrrell County, Union County, Vance County, Wake County, Warren County, Washington County, Wayne County, Wilkes County, Wilson County, Yadkin County, Yancey County

The Law Firm of Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is made up of a team of experienced personal injury attorneys and investigators that understand the complexities of a truck accidental injury case and that can use those complexities to your advantage.

There are many, many accident injury lawyers who say they are able to help your case - but do they have the specific expertise of truck accidents that we pride ourselves on? Do they have our winning record and access to multiple experts on the subject? We have specific truck and big rig experience with proven results. Don't take your truck and car accident to just any accident lawyer.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an accident involving a commercial truck, 18-wheeler, or tractor trailer, contact our offices today for a free legal consultation today.

Truck Accident Resource Websites

American Trucking Associations
The ATA represents the trucking industry on a national scale. Their website includes a list of safety hot topics, safety publications, safety statistics, and safety committees.

Truck Safety Coalition
This is a coalition between the Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) Foundation and Parents Against Tired truckers (PATT). It offers truck safety issues, facts and figures, the latest news, and a related newsletter.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
CVSA is a not-for-profit organization that promotes commercial truck safety and security. Their website shares news, events, committees, and members information as well as tips and advice on how truck drivers can reduce accident rates.

Institute of Drive Behavior
This site is a collection of safety videos for truck drivers - both new and experienced - aimed at reducing and preventing accidents.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The NHTSA is a government-run website that offers the public the latest news, research, and safety advice in relation to car and truck accident prevention.

FMCSA's Share the Road Safely Program
This website is run by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and strives to minimize the number of car and truck crashes through educating all drivers and, in the case of accidents that do happen, to minimize the consequences of such collisions.

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Since 1947, this non-profit organization has funded over 170 research projects designed to discover the causes of traffic accidents. The website includes traffic safety news, research results, and much more.

US Department of Transportation
The website itself will inform the reader of the latest news, research, tips, programs, and statistics generated by the government agency.

National Safety Council
This is the nation's leading resource on the development of strategies for advancing safety programs and practices. Their website offers statistics, tips, advice, news, and information related to car and truck accidents.

Insurance Information Institute
This website answers many frequently asked questions concerning car and truck crashes. Learn about choosing the right insurance coverage, filing a claim, and how the entire insurance process works.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety & Highway Loss Data Institute
While IIHS conducts research into the three factors in motor vehicle crashes (humans, their vehicles, and the environment), HLDI publishes insurance loss statistics on cars, trucks, SUVs, and motorcycle models common in the United States.

American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
The website includes a knowledge center, news outlet, and training opportunities.

FMCSA Analysis and Information Online
This website is a vital resource for those seeking track accident statistics.

Learn More About Car and Truck Accidents in South Carolina (SC)

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

How can you identify a top Virginia injury lawyer for your case? Look no further.

Our Virginia personal injury lawyers have been selected for many accolades.

Two of the VA injury attorneys with our firm, James Lewis and Rick Shapiro, have been named among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Lewis and Shapiro have also selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Leiws and Shappiro, along with attorney John C. have been recognized as Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010.

Ours was the first personal injury firm in Virginia invited to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Rick Shapiro was named as one of the Top 100 Injury Lawyers in Virginia by the National Trial Lawyers Association.

In October, 2000 our law firm and co-counsel obtained what was then the largest verdict in Virginia's history for an injured person. Our brain-damaged client received an initial award of $46 million that increased to $60 million with interest compounded while the defendant pursued a failed appeal, and was confidentially settled during the appeal.

 

Geographical Areas

Our lawyers handle personal injury cases throughout the eastern United States and work closely with lawyers in other states on signficant injury cases.

In Virginia, we are prepared to counsel and represent injury and wrongful death victims in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Richmond, Petersburg, Roanoke, Salem, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Ashland, Big Stone Gap and all of the Eastern Shore, including the towns of Accomack, Onancock, Chincoteauge, Wachapreague, Cape Charles, Bloxom, Eastville, Exmore, Greenbackville, Machipongo, Mappsville, Melfa, Nassawadox, Onley, Tangier, Temperanceville, Wachapreague and Wallops Island.

For clients in West Virginia (WV), we are happy to consider personal injury claims from residents of Bluefield, Beckley, Bridgeport, Charles Town, Charleston, Fairmont, Huntington, Lewisburg, Madison, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Ripley, Sutton, Weirton, Wheeling and any other town or county.

Attorneys with Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton hold licenses to practice in VA, WV, North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling truck wreck cases. Check out our truck accident case results and our free consumer guide on what to do if you get involved in an accident with a commercial truck.

We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Newport News, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been named to the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Jim and Rick have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of practicing lawyers receive this honor.

In addition, our VA injury law firm was the first in the commonwealth to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms, and we have the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization. The rating indicates we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free initial confidential consultations. Call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a message so we can get back to you.