Raleigh Car Accident Lawyer
Call us at 919-899-7200 today or request a free, confidential case review to learn more about our injury settlement legal services for your case specifically.
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Raleigh Car Accident Attorney Who Will Fight to Win Your Case
When a car accident occurs, there is a lot happening all at once during the crash and afterwards. Our accident lawyer, Harry Albritton, understands the stress you experience in an auto accident. When you are involved in an accident that was not your fault, even if the collision is minor in scale, communication with insurance companies and police officers and the other parties involved are all necessary steps after the collision. But, if there are injuries sustained or fatalities, the aftermath will involve ambulances, paramedics, and medical professionals. This is all extremely stressful and frightening.
You may feel like you can handle whatever comes after a car accident. However, especially if there are injuries, you may have the need to recover damages you incur. If you were injured in a collision, you should contact a serious Raleigh injury attorney who specializes in personal injury to help guide you through the next steps. At Irons & Irons P.A., our mission is to help people who have sustained serious injuries in car accidents in Raleigh and the Triangle. Our experienced auto injury lawyer, Harry Albritton, along with our legal team, is committed to advocating for your car accident claim injury settlement.
After a serious auto accident, you need to know your legal rights. We think it is important that you are informed of all your options in order to make the best decisions possible. In that regard, this page explains different aspects of going through a car accident personal injury claim so you can understand what will happen with your case.
Statistics for Car Accidents in Raleigh and North Carolina
First, let’s look at some statistics for car accidents in Raleigh and the entire state. The numbers show that there are thousands of accidents each year. Raleigh is 10th in the state in the number of accidents among cities with populations greater than 100,000. Since 2018, according to the NC Department of Transportation, there have been 73,047 car accidents with more than 13,000 injuries and 104 fatalities.
Many people are involved in accidents that are fatal. In 2022, in “Car Accident Statistics for 2023,” Forbes calculated that a fatal car accident happens every 15 minutes in the United States. North Carolina had the fifth-highest number of fatalities in 2022 with an increase of 0.3% from 2021. The research showed that the number of alcohol-related deaths rose and the number of alcohol-related car collisions that caused injuries was higher than the four-year average. Distracted driving behavior is also on the rise, with a 15% increase that resulted in 117 fatalities in 2021.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Drunk driving and speeding are the two leading causes of fatal accidents. Here is a list of some common causes of car accidents:
- Distracted driving
- Intoxicated driving
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Weather
- Running traffic signals
- Driving at night
- Vehicle defects
Types of Car Accidents
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data indicates that head-on collisions are the most common type of accident, followed by rear-end collisions. Angle accidents, which include side-impact collisions, are the third most common type of accident.
The types of auto accidents our Raleigh car accident lawyer sees most are:
- Rear-end accidents
- Head-on accidents
- T-bone accidents
- Drunk driver accidents
- Distracted driving accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
What You Can Do After Being Injured in a Car Accident
If you are injured in a car accident and the accident was not your fault, you can be compensated for damages and expenses you incurred. North Carolina is a “fault state” in the context of motor vehicle accidents. Essentially, if you are injured in an accident that is caused by another driver’s negligence, you can file a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the other driver for damages. Bodily injury claims can include doctor and hospital bills, laboratory fees, lost wages and pain and suffering that are a direct result of the accident.
The process of filing a lawsuit can be complicated and time-consuming. It’s important to obtain legal counsel with a car accident lawyer in Raleigh to determine whether filing a lawsuit is the best thing to do.
Damages
Damages are compensation for the financial and emotional burdens you suffer as a result of the accident. Every personal injury case is distinct. But, there are some common damages we see in many cases such that they have been categorized into two categories of damages–General and Special. General damages are non-economic damages while special damages are economic. There must be a clear connection between a plaintiff’s injury and the defendant’s behavior or actions to get compensation for damages.
Some of the damages you can recover include:
Medical Expenses
Compensation for medical bills that are a result of the injuries sustained in the car accident, including ambulance transport, doctor’s visits, hospital costs, surgeries, diagnostic testing, home care, etc.
Wage Loss
Any time away from work that has cost you lost wages
Future Income Loss - Any time away from work that is anticipated in the future, causing income loss
Pain and Suffering
Compensation for emotional suffering such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, lost companionship with a spouse or loved one, permanent disfigurement, and decreased quality of life
Punitive Damages
Compensation meant to punish the at-fault party in order to dissuade the same behavior in the future. Punitive damages are awarded in N.C. only when a jury by majority decides that the defendant was “grossly negligent” by “willful or wanton” misconduct that resulted in the plaintiff’s injury.
Special Damages
Special damages can be calculated by adding up the bills the plaintiff has paid as a result of their injuries as well as the wages lost due to injuries and the future bills and lost wages they will experience. Special wages pay for items like medical bills, loss of wages and loss of earning power due to injuries, and property damage.
General Damages
General damages are damages caused by the harm done to the plaintiff that do not have a clear-cut dollar amount attached. Such intangibles as pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of companionship or consortium, lost quality of life and disfigurement or permanent impairment. Typically, these damages are calculated as three to four times the amount of the plaintiff’s medical bills and are added to the amount that is meant to cover the bills.
When You Are a Surviving Family Member
If a loved one was killed in a car accident through no fault of their own, as the surviving family member you may be entitled to bring a wrongful death lawsuit to court for compensation. Compensation for any damages the victim endured before their death and compensation for the loss you suffered is awarded in a wrongful death suit. This is brought in a civil action as enumerated by statute. There is no average settlement because each case is unique.
You may be entitled to compensation for the following in a wrongful death case:
- Medical bills incurred while the deceased was alive
- Pain and suffering experienced by the deceased while alive
- Loss of the deceased’s lifetime income
- Loss of the services the deceased provided
- Loss of any inheritance that could have been received
- Loss of companionship or loss of consortium
- Funeral costs
Reasons to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Raleigh
Even though you may think that your case is clear-cut and that you were obviously not at fault, you still may have to prove that you are blameless in order to get the full compensation you deserve. Car insurance companies will many times try to discredit your account of the accidents so they don’t have to pay for damages.
Here are reasons why you should hire our experienced auto accident lawyer in Raleigh:
- We will find out what really happened in the car accident.
- We will prove your case.
- We will help you collect compensation for your medical bills, car repairs, lost wages and pain and suffering.
- We will negotiate for the best settlement.
- We will tirelessly fight for you to get what you deserve.
Call Us When You Need a Car Accident Lawyer in Raleigh
If you have been in a car accident and were not at fault, you need an experienced, knowledgeable Raleigh car accident lawyer to get the best outcome possible for your claim. Attorney Harry Albritton is dedicated in seeing that our clients get the compensation deserved to help you through the aftermath and move into the future. We will navigate through the documentation that is required and the negligence standards so you can focus on healing and rebuild your life.
Attorney Harry Albritton and our team at Irons & Irons P.A. are committed to being your advocate in an injury claim settlement. If your settlement isn’t received, you don’t pay anything for our services. Call us at 919-899-7200 today or request a confidential and free case review to learn more about our legal services for your case specifically.
