What To Do If A Drunk Driver Hit You On I-77

If you were hit by a drunk driver on I-77 in North Carolina, there are a few considerations which will affect the value of your personal injury claim. While there is no guarantee, a North Carolina personal injury attorney can often make all the difference in your financial recovery from your accident. A Mooresville, NC car accident lawyer can help victims of drunk driving crashes pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages resulting from a negligent driver’s actions.

Cameras On I-77 Capture Drunk Driving Accidents

North Carolina’s stretch of I-77 contains numerous key camera locations including Nations Ford, West Blvd, Brookshire Freeway and Clanton Road, among others. This camera footage can serve as definitive evidence of your accident and establish liability or fault. Often, the at fault driver will lie to the responding officer about what happened – the camera footage will help to clarify what happened, and eliminate the need for a jury to try to decide which driver to believe.

Depending on the location of the accident, camera footage may be obtained by NCDOT or other sources. Additionally, body cam footage can be obtained from CMPD if the responding officers are CMPD and not state troopers.

Punitive Damages For Drunk Drivers

If you are hit by a drunk driver on I-77, you may be entitled to punitive damages. Punitive damages are codified in North Carolina by statute under Chapter 1D. If your driver is convicted of a DUI or DWI, your personal injury attorney can pursue not only compensatory damages for your injuries, lost wages and pain and suffering, but they can also pursue additional funds meant to ‘punish’ the driver for driving drunk. Those funds are given to the injured party in North Carolina.

New Policy Limits In North Carolina Matter

Previously in North Carolina, if a drunk driver hit you, they may only have the state minimum of $30,000 of coverage for personal injury. This means even if your case was worth more than $30,000, often there is no additional money when you exhaust the policy limits. As of July 2025, the minimum coverage limit was raised to $50,000. This becomes especially relevant to cases with punitive damages and serious injuries. If you do exhaust the minimum coverage limits, we can look to your policy for underinsured motorist coverage which is meant to protect you in situations like this.

Most Drunk Driving Accidents Settle Out Of Court

As you can imagine, most insurance companies do not want their insured driver to appear before a jury if there was drunk driving involved in the accident. Insurance companies are well aware that a jury will despise a drunk driver during a trial. As a result, these cases most often settle out of court and often settle for full policy limits awards. When your case settles out of court—without a lawsuit needing to be filed—you will rarely have to do anything other than obtain the medical treatment you need to get better. Your personal injury attorney will negotiate the claim and settle out all of your medical billing as part of settlement. No time in court, no depositions. Additionally, while your injury attorney and their staff will devote a considerable amount of time to working on the case, the expenses associated with the case will be minimal when compared to litigating a case in court. This results in more money going to you.

Contact A North Carolina Drunk Driving Accident Attorney

If you’ve been hit by a drunk driver on I-77, you deserve the assistance of a personal injury attorney. Navigating the complexities of a drunk driving settlement without an attorney is not advisable, as it may leave you with an unfair settlement, unpaid medical bills and health insurance liens, and other loose ends long after settlement. If you have been injured by a drunk driver, contact The Layton Law Firm to discuss your case and learn how experienced legal representation can help protect your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve.