Did A Truck Accident In North Carolina Leave You Damaged Physically And Financially? Shapiro, Appleton & Washburn Is Ready To Help.
If you or a family member suffered a serious injury in a truck accident caused by the truck driver, you may be able to pursue financial restitution for your harms and losses against the truck operator and the trucking company. This is because, under North Carolina law, someone who is harmed as a result of another individual's negligent or reckless actions can file a legal claim for economic and non-economic damages.
Serious Injuries Associated with Accidents Involving a Tractor-Trailer
Below is a sample of just some of the types of injuries that are commonly reported after a serious truck accident. Depending on the speed at which the vehicles collided and the size of the respective vehicles, it is possible for someone to suffer a debilitating, life-altering injury from a car wreck. This is why it is so important to speak to an attorney and explore your legal options.
- Whiplash injuries
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Wrongful death
Key Elements of a Truck Accident Injury Claim
Filing a truck accident injury claim will require a detailed investigation into what exactly caused the accident and whether the motorist who hit you was negligent. If there is enough evidence to show that the other driver was negligent, you could obtain a financial recovery from the other driver's insurance company. Here are the key elements that will need to be shown to substantiate your claim:
- The commercial truck driver owed a duty of care to operate their vehicle in a reasonably safe manner;
- The commercial truck driver breached this duty;
- This breach of duty caused you or your loved one's injury;
- The commercial truck driver's actions (or in-action) proximately caused your injury; and
- You suffered damage (e.g., you incurred medical expenses and were forced to miss work resulting in lost wages).
Common Tricks and Delay Tactics Used by Trucking Companies
It is always important to realize that when a commercial truck is involved in an accident, the company that owns the truck and employs the driver will take immediate action to try and limit its exposure to civil liability. This includes sending out claims adjusters and investigators out to the accident scene and employing a team of defense lawyers. This is why you need to be prepared when filing a claim with the insurance company that covers the commercial truck. The adjusters hired by these companies are not your friends and are not looking out for you. This is evident in some of the common delay tactic and tricks that are used by insurance adjusters with folks in and around North Carolina.
One of the more common tactics used is to delay processing your truck accident injury claim, despite the fact that the company is under a legal obligation to process it in a reasonable amount of time. Many accident victims are under enormous financial pressure because of their injuries. The medical bills start arriving in the mail and they often are unable to work while they recover, which means they are not receiving their paycheck every week. Insurance companies know this. They also know that if they come up with unnecessary documentation request or claim they are still investigating the accident in order to drag out the process, then the victim may end up settling for less because they become desperate for funds, even if it means those funds are much less than what they are legally entitled to.
Your attorney will make sure that does not happen. In fact, it is quite common that once an insurance company finds out a victim had an attorney representing them, the claims process proceeds at the pace it should.
Another tactic that is often used is the insurance company alleging that you, the victim, failed to provide enough evidence to support your truck accident injury claim. This is why it is critical to document and save everything. Your attorney will use this evidence in order to prove that you were injured in an accident and that it was the insurance company’s client who caused the accident. Some of the important evidence includes all medical reports and bills, photos from the accident scene, police reports, witness statements, and proof of missed work.
Cost of Personal Injury Representation
Retaining a skilled and experienced North Carolina truck accident lawyer will cost you nothing up front. This is because our team of attorneys represent clients on a contingency basis. This means we do not charge you for legal services until your case is resolved. We also offer a "No Financial Recovery, No Legal Fee" guarantee. This means you owe us nothing if we do not obtain a financial recovery on your behalf.
You Only Have a Finite Amount of Time to File a Legal Claim
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. Section 1-52, you only have three years from the date of your truck accident to file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver. This is known as the statute of limitations. It is a period of time, set forth by the North Carolina legislature, allowing for the filing of a civil claim against a defendant. If you do not file a lawsuit within this time period, you will be prohibited from ever pursuing a financial recovery against the negligent driver who harmed you. This is why you need to take action sooner rather than later.
Do Not Hesitate - Contact Shapiro, Appleton & Washburn Today and Speak with an Actual Attorney for Free
Shapiro, Appleton & Washburn law firm is here to help. We understand and appreciate the fact that a serious truck accident is a traumatic experience. You need to recover, and don’t need hassles and roadblocks from insurance adjusters. Since 1985, our injury law firm has ONLY handled personal injury cases, including serious auto accident injury cases in and around North Carolina. This includes representing clients who were injured in car wrecks that occurred in the Outer Banks (e.g., Nags Head, Duck, Corolla, Kill Devil Hills, etc.) Charlotte, Elizabeth City, Raleigh, and so forth.
Five Reasons Why You Should Contact Shapiro, Appleton & Washburn
- We have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and jury verdicts on behalf of clients since our firm was founded in 1985.
- A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau.
- Recognized as a "Best Law Firm" by U.S. News & World Report (since '10) for personal injury litigation.
- 10.0 "Superb" rating on Avvo.
- Recognized as "Super Lawyers" which is a distinction less than 5 percent of practicing attorneys possess.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I call or fill in the form, does that mean I am hiring your firm now?
No, this is a free confidential consultation. If you want to retain us it will be by a retainer agreement we send for your review. We only get paid if we recover for you also.
Are there upfront fees or hourly lawyer charges?
No, we are only paid a percentage of a recovery you approve, and there are no case expenses due until then.
Does your firm do anything besides personal injury law?
No, "All we do is injury law" is our slogan, and it's what we do every day, And we believe we have happy clients to prove it.