Chapel Hill Car Accident Lawyer
In 2015, according to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, at least 1,000 car crashes occurred in the city of Chapel Hill. This number is significant when compared to many of the other major cities in North Carolina.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident and has suffered harm, contact Chapel Hill car accident lawyers today to discuss your claim. An experienced injury attorney can help your pursue necessary damages.
What to Do if Involved in an Accident
First, it is important to determine whether any of the involved parties are in need of immediate medical attention. If so, call for an ambulance immediately. If no one is in need of any serious medical attention, then the first step should be to gather all of the necessary information from any involved parties such as driver’s license and insurance information.
If one of the parties drives a commercial vehicle or another vehicle that is owned by an employer, get the employer’s information as well. Contact the police and obtain a police report for the incident.
Another important thing to do is to take high-resolution pictures of everything related to the accident: physical injuries sustained, damages to the vehicles involved or other property, and any other pictures that will help paint a clear picture as to the scene of the incident. It is important to never discuss liability with the insurance company, keep things purely factual. A Chapel Hill car accident lawyer will know how to properly speak with the insurance company in a manner that does not harm the plaintiff.
Typical Injuries in Car Accidents
Injuries can vary in a car accident case. Some of the most common types of injuries include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Concussion
- Whiplash
- Cuts and bruises
- Broken neck
- Broken arms
- Back injury
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Teeth/jaw injuries
Standard of Negligence
In almost every case that involves a car accident, the court will look to determine whether the defendant behaved in either a negligent or reckless manner. If a court determines that the defendant’s negligent or reckless behavior caused injuries to the plaintiff, then the plaintiff may be entitled to recovery from the defendant for any injuries sustained.
The typical inquiry the court uses is whether the defendant, as an operator of a motor vehicle, acted in a manner that a reasonably prudent motor vehicle driver would have acted under the same or similar circumstances. This is a vague statement and is often times the reason why many personal injury lawsuits transcend from settlement negotiations with an insurance company to litigation in the courts.
In some cases, a defendant may be found to have acted negligently as a matter of law. This type of liability can be assumed when a defendant’s acts were in direct violation of a statute or other local ordinance. An experienced Chapel Hill car accident lawyer will have an understanding of any local laws that may have been violated as a result of a defendant’s acts or omissions.
Working with a Chapel Hill Car Accident Lawyer
Being involved in a car accident can be very stressful. In addition to dealing with insurance companies, the injured parties may have to take off work in order to heal, or spend a considerable amount of time trying to fix the vehicle that was involved in the accident.
It is best to have a seasoned car accident attorney who is familiar with Chapel Hill to help navigate through the post-accident proceedings.
