What Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?

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What Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?

The same way that every human being is unique, so is every personal injury claim. This means that the value of your personal injury claim will depend upon all the specific circumstances surrounding your claim and how it has affected your life. When you call a personal injury lawyer and ask them “What is my personal injury claim worth?” the answer should be “It depends.”

What Does It Depend On?

The primary driving force of the value of your personal injury claim is how it has affected your life. However, in order to establish how an injury or event has affected your life, you will need to establish proof. This is the world in which personal injury lawyers and personal injury insurance adjusters live. A simple example is two individuals who have both experienced tremendous anxiety and stress due to a car accident. Suppose that one of the individuals sought therapy to try to mange her PTSD from the accident, and the other individual ‘toughed it out’ on her own without therapy. While both clients have experienced anxiety, stress and PTSD from the accident, the individual who sought therapy has evidence of her anxiety. As a result, it will be easier to establish the value of the stress and anxiety when calculating a settlement figure or persuading a jury box.

What About Medical Bills?

Medical bills and medical records are a key part of establishing the value of your claim. Again, bills and records help to establish proof of how the accident affected your life. We are more easily persuaded that someone has been through pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, if we can see they received extensive medical treatment, surgeries, and physical therapy to heal from the accident. Compare this to an individual who was injured in a car accident and was treated once at an emergency room fourteen days after the accident. You get the picture.

Do My Lost Wages Count?

When determining “What is my personal injury claim worth?” your lost wages are a critical component. If you are a W2 employee or have a supervisor of any sort, we will work with you to have the supervisor sign off on a lost wages affidavit to establish the time and wages you lost. Even if you used Paid Time Off, you have lost paid hours as a result of the accident and deserve to be compensated for it.

How Will I Know When I Get A Fair Offer?

This is a fair question. We find that in the end, most of our clients simply wish the accident had never happened. There is no amount of money that can compensate them for the loss of enjoyment of life and the traumatic nature of catastrophic injuries. We help our clients to decide about a proposed settlement by seeking to understand what is important to them. Some clients have a strong desire for justice—sometimes that requires that we file a lawsuit. Other clients are simply ready to move forward with life and decide that the insurance company is making a fair offer. The decision is always yours, and we are here to maximize the offer to you, then help you decide if you want to accept it.

Speak With A Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Want to speak with someone today to get an answer to the question “What is my personal injury claim worth?” The consultation is free. Our job is to help you understand your rights and explain whether we think we can assist you with your claim. Our goal is to help you achieve the best outcome possible. You can reach us at 704.749.7747, or click HERE to request a call from a lawyer today.

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Free Consultation Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer

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Free Consultation Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer

If you need a consultation with a Charlotte personal injury lawyer, you are a few minutes away from speaking with a Charlotte personal injury lawyer. The Layton Law Firm, PLLC has built its reputation on responsiveness to clients, which includes providing consultations quickly. Consultations can be done over the phone or in person. Ready to talk to a lawyer NOW? Chris Layton is the founding law partner and handles all personal injury consultations. To get started, call 704.749.7747 or fill out a quick form and we will call within an hour: CONSULTATION FORM.

What Can I Expect From My Free Personal Injury Consultation?

If you’re in a car accident or the victim of a slip and fall, we know you need advice. We’re happy to help you understand your options whether you decide to use our firm or not. During your free personal injury consultation we will discuss:

Speak With A Lawyer—The most important aspect of your free consultation is that you actually get to SPEAK WITH A PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY. Many firms have you spend time with a staff member to determine if your case is worth taking. When you call our office for a consultation you will be connected DIRECTLY to a personal injury lawyer and you’ll get a chance to ask questions.

The Facts Of Your Case—Tell us what happened and let us assess liability for you. If you have a police report (request a police report HERE)we’re happy to review that with you as well. If the consultation is over the phone you can either email or fax the report and the lawyer will review it with you.

Your Injuries—You’ll get a chance to tell us the injuries you sustained from the accident, and describe the medical treatment you’ve received thus far. We will ask a few questions about your treatment status and the timeliness of your treatment, which will help us assess your case. We can also discuss how Medical Liens and Medical Billing are addressed in personal injury settlements.

The Likelihood Of A Financial Recovery—If you are in a car accident, slip and fall, or other personal injury matter, you will quickly find out that you must first prove you are entitled to compensation. While it will be difficult to assess the value of your personal injury claim, the lawyer will be able to assess the likelihood of getting the at fault party to accept liability, and explain the theory of liability based on the facts of the accident.

Discuss How Personal Injury Claims Work

For most of our clients, it is their first personal injury claim. As a result, we make sure to answer questions about the timeline of a personal injury claim. The timeline changes depending upon the length of your treatment, and whether a lawsuit must be filed, but the conversation will help set your expectations about how much time it will take to resolve your claim.

You Can Decide If You Like Us

Most importantly, you should work with a personal injury lawyer and law firm that you like. The free consultation with a Charlotte personal injury lawyer gives you a chance to do just that. You should feel cared for, and that the lawyer is interested in your claim. We hope you will choose to work with us but we know that’s a personal choice, and we hope the phone call or in person meeting helps you decide.

Discuss The Personal Injury Fee Arrangement

Most of our personal injury work is done on a contingency basis. This means we don’t get paid unless you get paid. If we reach a settlement for you, our standard fee is one third of the settlement amount. You will find this is pretty standard in North Carolina. We like this arrangement because it allows individuals to get legal protection without writing a check. We also believe you can trust your personal injury lawyer when they tell you that the insurance company’s offer is a fair offer, or that the lawyer thinks you should file a lawsuit. When the lawyer is getting paid a percentage of the amount recovered, it means you’re both fighting for the same thing.

Speak With A Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you would like to speak with an attorney about your personal injury case, we’re here to help. The call is free and you will come away with a much better understanding of your options. You can reach us at 704.749.7747 or click to request a FREE CASE EVALUATION, and we will be in touch shortly.

Further Reading

If this article was helpful, you may find other helpful articles on our Personal Injury Blog. Thank you for visiting the website—we hope it has been helpful.

 

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Personal Injury Statements To Adjusters

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Should I Give The Personal Injury Adjuster A Statement?

No, you should not give your personal injury adjuster a statement regarding your car accident, slip and fall injury, or any other injury. No matter how kind the adjuster may appear, you can trust that your statement(s) will be used against you at a later date. Adjusters work for the insurance company. While they may be assisting you with reaching a personal injury settlement, their loyalty is always to the insurance company.

The Adjuster Is Probably Recording Your Statement

North Carolina is a One Party Consent state, under N.C.G.S. Ann 15A-287.  This means that phone conversations can be recorded by one of the parties to those conversations. Effectively, this means that the adjuster does not have to ask your permission or even tell you the call is being recorded. It also means the recorded call could become evidence at trial.

Inconsistencies In Your Statement Will Be Used Against You

While you may tell the truth when giving your personal injury statement, you are only human. First, if the adjuster has multiple conversations with you, they may record all of them. Second, you may explain the facts in a slightly different manner to the adjuster on different calls. Lastly, these differences in the versions of your story could be used to establish your inconsistency, or your inability to accurately remember what happened. This is specifically true of a slip and fall accident. At least in a motor vehicle accident there is a police report to help memorialize the facts. If you’ve been in an accident we can provide you with a free copy of your police report,

Refusal To Give A Statement Will Not Hurt Your Case

As a general rule, we advise adjusters that it is our policy that our clients not give a statement. Much the same way the insurance company does not have to provide us with a copy of the store video for a slip and fall, we retain the right to refuse to give a recorded statement. Additionally, if a lawsuit is filed, both sides will be given a chance to take depositions during the Discovery phase of the lawsuit, governed by N.C.G.S. 15A-902. A deposition is the equivalent of a recorded statement given by our client, or anyone else. That is also when any existing video of an accident or slip and fall would be turned over for review.

The Pitfalls Of Settling A Claim Without A Personal Injury Lawyer

This article is just one example of how having legal representation can dramatically change the results of your personal injury claim or personal injury settlement. Whether it’s guidance regarding a personal injury statement to an adjuster, or assistance with negotiating medical liens in personal injury, your personal injury attorney will fight to protect you. Having your legal rights protected has to be a top priority when dealing with a large corporate insurance company.

Speak With A Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you have been injured and would like to speak with a lawyer today, call us at 704.749.7747. Press the “New Client” option when prompted, and you will be connected immediately with a lawyer. You can also request a FREE CASE EVALUATION and we will reach out shortly to discuss your case with you. Even if you’ve already given a personal injury statement, we can help.

Further Reading

If you’d like to read more articles, check out our Personal Injury Blog or our Bankruptcy Blog. Thank you for stopping by the website. We hope it has been helpful.

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Charlotte Pedestrian Personal Injury Lawyer

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When someone is involved in a pedestrian personal injury involving an automobile, the results are often heartbreaking. The Layton Law Firm began its reputation for representing pedestrians by successfully represented a 17-year-old boy who was seriously injured by a driver, while crossing a busy Charlotte street at night. After fighting a denied claim and ultimately prevailing against the insurance company for the child and his family, we made it a priority to fight hard for injured pedestrians.

We currently represent numerous pedestrians in personal injury and wrongful death actions. We take each law firm client’s injuries seriously, but injuries to children and pedestrians are specifically important to us because of the extreme nature of the injuries and the age of the individuals involved. As a result, children and pedestrian injuries have become a passion of ours. Unfortunately, winning a pedestrian claim can be an uphill battle requiring persistence, creativity, and diligent pursuit of recovery.

Don’t Pedestrians Always Have The Right Of Way?

This is the question always asked when there is a pedestrian injury. As a Charlotte pedestrian personal injury lawyer, unfortunately I find myself quite often answering “Not always”. While pedestrians often start with a presumption of right of way, they can easily forfeit it by being too far outside a crosswalk, crossing the road at a non-designated spot, or being inebriated. In fact, there are some instances where a pedestrian actually must yield to the motorist.

How Do I Preserve The Pedestrian Right Of Way?

There are a few guidelines which will help preserve your right of way as a pedestrian. Always strive to:

  • Walk with the cross-walk signals
  • Stay inside specifically marked cross-walk pathways
  • If a sidewalk exists, use the sidewalk (and not the roadway)
  • Electric wheelchair users: follow the rules for pedestrians, NOT for vehicles

Do Drivers Have Responsibilities To Pedestrians In NC?

Yes, there are. Even in a situation where a pedestrian may have yielded the right of way, the operator of a motor vehicle must still exercise reasonable care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian in the roadway. The doctrine of Last Clear Chance can also be applied, and your Charlotte Pedestrian Personal Injury Lawyer will discuss it with you. Essentially, it says that even if a pedestrian has forfeited the right of way, if the operator of the vehicle has the last clear chance to avoid an accident, he or she must avoid the accident. This doctrine applies in other personal injury situation as well, such as automobile accidents between the operators of two vehicles.

How Can A Personal Injury Lawyer Help?

A Charlotte personal injury lawyer will help to make sure you are treated fairly. Insurance companies often deny pedestrian claims based on contributory negligence, or some other factor. An aggressive legal strategy can often overcome this denial and help achieve a fair result. It is our opinion that pedestrians make good plaintiffs.

When an insurance denial is met with a threat of a lawsuit, quite often we are able to reach settlement before entering the courtroom. In most cases, an insurance company does not want to appear in court against a pedestrian, because it shows an unwillingness to settle the case or to be reasonable in accepting liability for the plaintiff’s injuries.

Pedestrian injuries also often lead to large medical bills. Your personal injury lawyer will not only work to secure a fair offer for you, but can also negotiate some of your medical billing. The end result is you end up with more money in your pocket. The ability to negotiate these bills stems from the attorney’s understanding of N.C.G.S. 44-49 and 44-50, which is a limiting factor when it comes to liens resulting from medical treatment related to the injury.

You deserve to have someone fight for your rights. Insurance companies are focused on the bottom line. We focus on the client.

Speak With A Charlotte Pedestrian Lawyer Today

If you were a pedestrian, and you were hit by the driver of an automobile or motorcycle, please call us at 704.749.7747. Or, if you’d like us to call you, just click HERE to request a call online. An attorney will be happy to discuss your rights and provide you guidance, at no charge. There’s no obligation to hire us but we hope you’ll choose to Recover With Us.

If you need a free copy of your accident report, we’re happy to obtain that for you as well– just click HERE to request one and simply let us know the date of your accident, the location, and your full name.

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Layton Law Protects Pedestrians – Free Yard Signs

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Layton Law Protects Pedestrians

As part of our 2019 campaign to protect pedestrians, we are giving away our “Layton Law Protects Pedestrians – SLOW DOWN” yard signs. In our personal injury practice, we are surrounded by injured individuals. When the injury is a pedestrian injury, the injuries are quite dramatic. If a pedestrian is hit by a motor vehicle there is of course a significant chance they may never recover. These are heartbreaking cases, especially when the pedestrian is a Minor. As a parent of young children, I am fearful every day that a careless driver will injure my children or other children in our neighborhood.

Prevention Is The Goal

According to www.watchformenc.org, roughly 3,000 pedestrians and 850 bicyclists are hit each year in NC. When a pedestrian is injured, we are there to help protect their rights. However, a much better solution would be to play a role in preventing pedestrian injuries in Charlotte. Our yard signs have that goal in mind. We’ve seen numerous yard signs in the past encouraging drivers to Drive Like Your Kids Live Here. We love those signs! However, some careless drivers remain undeterred. Our signs are meant to remind them there are serious consequences awaiting drivers who hit pedestrians. Our hope is that we are able to get the attention of more drivers by delivering this slightly different message.

The Yard Signs Are Free

We are making these yard signs free to anyone who would like one. The more of these signs we are able to get into view throughout the city, the better. If you or any of your neighbors would like a Layton Law Protects Pedestrians yard sign, simply click HERE to send us a request. Just tell us you’d like a sign and we will arrange to have one at the office for you for pickup.

How Can You Help?

First, by simply placing the sign in your yard, we believe you’re raising driver awareness. Second, if you like the law firm’s pedestrian safety campaign and want to encourage more efforts, simply leave us a Google Review letting us know. Lastly, share this post on social media within Charlotte so others will know the signs are available. Sometimes the encouragement from others in the community helps to keep the momentum rolling.

Call Us With Questions Or Ideas

Lastly, if you have questions about the yard signs or the pedestrian campaign, please call us. If you have ideas you would like to share regarding other ways in which we can become involved in pedestrian safety, please reach out with those ideas. You can call us at 704.749.7747 or click HERE to submit ideas and questions.

Further Reading

If you would like to read more articles on our website, check out our Personal Injury Blog or our Bankruptcy Blog.

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Hit By A Car While Running

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Hit By A Car While Running – What To Do Next

If you are hit by a car while running, the injuries can be tragic. There is no more vulnerable individual on the road than the pedestrian. Often, runners are moving fast enough that turning cars don’t see them coming. This makes getting hit by a car while running a very real danger.

Take These Steps After Being Hit

  1. If you’ve been hit by a car while running, certainly your health is most important. Calling for medical attention should be your first step.
  2. Second, document the accident. This means taking pictures of the area where you were hit, and the vehicle that hit you. Additionally, take photos of the license plate of the car that hit you.
  3. Third, if you are not being rushed to the hospital by ambulance, be sure to call the police. This will generate a police report which is an official record of the accident.
  4. Lastly, take down the names and phone numbers of any witnesses who saw the accident and were kind enough to stop. They may be the key to your personal injury case down the road.

Statistically Speaking

Each year, the numbers keep getting worse for pedestrians. According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Administration:

                “Unfortunately, pedestrians were one of the few groups of road users to experience an increase in fatalities in the United States in 2016, totaling 5,987 deaths.”

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/pedestrian-safety

That is a fatality every two hours, which is terribly frightening. Comparatively, 840 bicyclists were killed in the same year. A previous blog article on this site has advice regarding bicycling in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Preventing Pedestrian Accidents

In order to prevent being hit by a car while running or walking, you have to become a defensive pedestrian. This means taking pro-active steps to insure your own safety. Consequently, you need to always be on the lookout for the actions of drivers, and make yourself easily detectable as a pedestrian. Here are a few ways to accomplish that:

  1. Wear brightly colored clothing or a safety vest.
  2. Follow the rules of the road so that motorists are more likely to spot you.
  3. Run during daylight hours.
  4. Pick routes that include greenways and neighborhood streets whenever possible.

Speak With An Attorney Today

If you were hit by a car while running, we’re here to help. Our firm aggressively defends the rights of pedestrians including runners, bicyclists and others sharing the road with motorists. Attorney Chris Layton spent years commuting to work by bicycle in Charlotte, and runs almost every day—as a result, he’s passionate about helping individuals who have been injured on the road. You can reach us at 704.749.7747 or click for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and we will reach out to you the same day. We know you have choices. We hope you choose to Recover With Us.

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