Tag Archive for: Charlotte auto accident attorney

Case Law Update – Contributory Negligence

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Case Law Update – Contributory Negligence

North Carolina is one of the only states remaining which embraces the concept of contributory negligence. Essentially, this means that a jury will be instructed to give the Plaintiff nothing, if the jury finds the Plaintiff contributed even one percent to the accident or injury. In the personal injury world, this is commonly known as “The One Percent Rule”.

This defense is a powerful one for defendants, and sets a very low hurdle for defendants to overcome at trial. However, plaintiffs are still entitled to be compensated where a defendant is negligent and the Plaintiff did not contribute to the accident or injury.

A Recent Case

As recently as 2022, the NC Court of Appeals remanded a case (Klapp v. Buck) back to the trial court after the Plaintiff appealed an adverse decision based on contributory negligence. In the case in question, a bicyclist was hit by a vehicle. The Defendant was attempting a left turn in an intersection, as the Plaintiff was going straight through the intersection. It is noteworthy that the Plaintiff was made visible to other drivers by usage of numerous lights on the bicycle and another light attached to her clothing. Additionally, the Plaintiff was in a line of cars in traffic, also moving straight through the intersection. The Defendant yielded to the vehicles in front of the Plaintiff, but made their left turn when the Plaintiff was traversing the intersection, which caused the accident.

The cases and language relied upon by the Court of Appeals hinged on a few key points:

        A plaintiff is entitled to assume a defendant will comply with the law, even to the last moment

                A plaintiff is not required to assume a defendant will be negligent (as this Defendant was)

                “A scintilla (very small amount) of evidence” is not enough to establish that a plaintiff was
                contributorily negligent

How Contributory Negligence Affects Our Practice

As a plaintiff’s lawyer in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributory negligence is often raised as a bar to recovery or personal injury settlement by the defending insurance company or their attorneys. Insurance companies lean hard on the one percent required to win their case—even in those situations where their client (the Defendant) was also negligent.

While this case does not remove contributory negligence from the conversation when negotiating or litigating a negligence claim, it establishes that the Defendant will have to do more than simply allege that the Plaintiff was also at fault. While it was not explicitly stated, it is implied that juries and judges expect more than an allegation or even an establishment of contribution equivalent to one percent.

Speak To A Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you have been injured in a car accident, it’s important to speak with a car accident lawyer. These finer points can make the difference between no recovery at all, and a fair result for an injured party. Lawyers and law firms that follow recent case decisions are better equipped to argue in your favor and obtain the best result possible.

If you would like a consultation with a personal injury lawyer, you can click HERE or call us at 704.749.7747. The conversation is free, and it’s important that you understand your rights if you’ve been injured. We hope you’ll choose to recover with us.

 

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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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Proving Fault In A NC Car Accident

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Proving Fault In A NC Car Accident

In a North Carolina auto accident claim, the burden of proving fault is on the plaintiff. The defendant has no burden; however, the defendant will present evidence in order to rebut your attempts to prove they were at fault. As the plaintiff in the car accident, you must prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence, as discussed in this article.

Burden Of Proof

The burden of proof in a civil case is lower than the burden in a criminal case. In a civil case (car accident, slip and fall, pedestrian injury, etc.) you must prove that based on a preponderance of the evidence, the defendant is liable. The “preponderance of the evidence” is the greater weight of the evidence. Therefore, the standard amounts to more likely than not, the defendant was at fault.

The Four Components Of Negligence

Generally, in an NC car accident case, you are attempting to prove the defendant was negligent. Negligence has four components: Duty, Breach, Causation, and Damages. The plaintiff must prove all four of these components in order to prevail when proving fault in an NC car accident. First, you must show the defendant owed you a duty of care. Automobile drivers owe one another the duty to show reasonable care for one another when operating a vehicle or sharing the road. Second, you must show that the defendant breached that duty, or failed to uphold that duty. Third, you must show that this failure was the direct cause of the accident. In other words, if not for the defendant’s failure to uphold the duty, the accident would not have happened. Lastly, you must show that the breach of this duty caused damages or injury. After all, it is the injury that brings you to court seeking to be compensated or made whole.

Keep in mind that in North Carolina, if the defendant can prove contributory negligence, this serves as an affirmative defense to your claim of negligence. Contributory negligence is a standard by which if the defendant can prove the plaintiff contributed even 1 percent to the accident, the jury is instructed to give the plaintiff nothing.

The Challenge Of Proving Fault

Every day in our office, we examine police reports in which our driver claims she had a green light. The other driver—per the police report—also claims to have had a green light. (If you need a free copy of your police report, click HERE and we can help.) While we know that both drivers did not have the right of way, the challenge becomes proving this. These cases are often known as “He Said, She Said” cases. Essentially, you have to individuals telling two different stories. From a jury’s perspective, how are they to decide which driver is telling the truth? What evidence can a lawyer put forth to establish that their client is telling the truth, and had the right of way?

Without an independent eyewitness to testify as to what they saw—including of course who had the green light or right of way—quite often these cases represent an extreme risk for a lawyer or law firm to take to court. The risk is not in losing. Any attorney knows they are not going to win every case. However, the risk is in the hours and financial investment the law firm is putting into the case, without any independent evidence to prove fault in the car accident case.

Presenting Evidence To Prove Fault In A NC Car Accident

Your personal injury lawyer will present evidence in hopes of establishing that the defendant was at fault. Below are a few examples of evidence that may be presented in court:

Client Testimony – The plaintiff will take the stand to tell their version of what happened in the car accident. Presumably, the plaintiff will state that she had the right of way and that the defendant did not. Keep in mind, per the example above, the defendant may also take the stand and claim the exact opposite.

Photographs – If there are photographs that were taken at the scene, those may be authenticated and entered into evidence in the case. The plaintiff’s attorney will use the photographs to tell the story of the accident. Perhaps the position of the vehicles on the road helps to establish which vehicle was at fault. Often, the location of the damages on each vehicle helps to establish how the vehicles collided, which vehicle was in front or behind, etc. General photographs of the accident location, even after the vehicles have been moved, also help the jury to understand the nature of the intersection or piece of roadway involved in the accident. This may help corroborate the plaintiff’s testimony regarding what happened.

Witness Testimony – As mentioned above, an independent eyewitness may testify as to what they saw. Unless they are a friend or relative of one of the parties in the accident, there is no reason not to believe their testimony. In fact, their testimony may serve as a “tie-breaker” between the conflicting testimony of the plaintiff and defendant.

The Police Report – If the police report is in your client’s favor, the attorney will attempt to admit the police report into evidence as an official record. This report was made during the officer’s duties as an employee and the officer can often testify as to its authenticity based on what the officer witnessed at the scene of the accident.

Speak With A Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Proving fault in an NC car accident is often more challenging than we predict. Insurance adjusters see the world through a different lens than the injured party. Having a lawyer represent you can make all the difference. If you would like to speak with a personal injury lawyer about your car accident case, call us at 704.479.7747 or click HERE to request a free consultation. We know you have choices. We hope you choose Layton Law.

Want to meet Chris Layton? Here is a one-minute introduction VIDEO.

 

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How Do I Find A Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me?

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How Do I Find A Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me?

Finding a personal injury lawyer near you should be easy. Google will usually show search results that are relevant to your search for a personal injury lawyer, both by content and geographic location. Keep in mind that most personal injury law firms have the ability for you to sign up by internet, email, or mailing you a packet. If you’d like to speak with an attorney today, simply request a phone consultation HERE and we will reach out immediately.

If you are in an accident in North Carolina, The Layton Law Firm can help you. Our office is in SouthPark in Charlotte, NC; however, we handle Car Accident cases, Truck Accident cases, Slip and Fall cases, Pedestrian Cases, and Wrongful Death cases across the state of North Carolina. If your accident was in South Carolina, we can work with you to start your case with one of the South Carolina litigation law firms we routinely work with.

Determining Whether You Have A Personal Injury Claim Or Case

A phone consultation with a personal injury lawyer should provide you with enough information to decide if you have a valid personal injury claim. Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis. This means that the law firm only gets paid if they are able to obtain a settlement or jury verdict. Our firm routinely works on contingency with clients. We believe this serves the client well. First, the client does not have to pay out of pocket for legal protection and can find representation immediately. Second, if your personal injury lawyer is interested in your case and is agreeable to working on a contingency basis, it’s a good sign that the lawyer believes you have a valid case—they wouldn’t work for ‘free’ if they thought they were not going to eventually get a result for you.

Deciding On A Personal Injury Lawyer

It’s important to choose a lawyer who you believe is capable of handling your case, and who will be good to work with. Our office routinely receives phone calls from clients who are working with other personal injury lawyers and can’t get a phone call returned or feel like their case hasn’t been touched in months. When you choose to work with The Layton Law Firm, we make sure to communicate regularly with you. We provide you updates as the case or claim progresses, and we involve you in the critical steps in the settlement process. You’ll never feel neglected or ‘out of the loop’ as it relates to your case.

Speak With A Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you’re asking “How do I find a personal injury lawyer near me?” the answer is easy—you’ve found one. We can help you with your case and we would love to hear from you. 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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The Insurance Company Is Totaling My Car

The Insurance Company Is Totaling My Car

If you are in a car accident and the damage to your car exceeds 65 to 70 percent of the value of your car, your car may be ‘totaled’. According to Insurance.com, your car will also be totaled if the repair estimate exceeds the fair market value. Keep in mind that if you’re in a car accident, you have two potential claims that arise from that accident. First, you have a property damage claim. This is the claim which relates to your vehicle. Second, you may have a personal injury claim. Even if you are handling your property damage claim on your own, a discussion with a personal injury lawyer about both claims is a great next step in the process. The personal injury claim relates to your pain and suffering, lost wages, and medical bills, but will not include repayment for loss of or damage to your vehicle.

Keeping A Totaled Vehicle After A Car Accident

If you want to keep your totaled vehicle after your car accident, your insurance company will typically pay you the cash value of the vehicle minus any deductible according to your policy. From there, you can arrange to have repairs made to the vehicle. In many cases, clients do choose to keep a totaled vehicle and make the repairs.

Check With Your Insurance Company About Coverage Going Forward

If you are planning to keep and operate a totaled or “salvage” vehicle, it’s important to make sure you will be able to get insurance coverage for the vehicle. Every insurance company is different. You can start by asking your current auto insurance company about covering the salvage vehicle. If that is not an option you can reach out to other insurance companies for the same purpose.

Selling Your Totaled Car After A Car Accident

Another thing to keep in mind is the trade-in or sale value of your vehicle may be zero if the insurance company is totaling your car after the accident. The title database maintained by insurance companies will alert any buyer that the vehicle has been totaled. You also have an affirmative duty to disclose to any potential buyer that the insurance company totaled the car.

Totaled Cars And Gap Insurance

If your car is totaled and the amount the insurance company is giving you for the totaled car does not cover the loan amount, you have a deficiency for which you may be responsible. Longer length loans on vehicles, coupled with rolling negative vehicle debt into a trade-in often results in an “upside-down” vehicle. When the insurance company totals the car, you’re left with the loan to pay.

If you purchased what is commonly known as gap insurance, it will pay the difference between what you receive for the car and the remainder of the loan. The purpose of gap insurance is so that you don’t get stuck with unsecured or leftover debt after the insurance company makes their payment to you.

Purchasing A New Car After A Car Accident

Many of our personal injury clients are in need of a new vehicle after a car accident. While the personal injury claim does not include value for the loss of the vehicle, there is no rule that says you can’t spend some or all of your personal injury settlement funds on a down payment for a new car. Your personal injury lawyer can help you to sort through all of these issues and provide guidance in addition to protecting you against unfair treatment by the insurance company or companies involved in the car accident and compensation resulting from it.

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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Estimated Personal Injury Settlements

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Estimated Personal Injury Settlements

Personal injury attorneys learn very quickly the pitfalls of discussing estimated personal injury settlements with their clients. The value of your personal injury claim is dependent upon numerous factors. As a result, two cases with the exact same injuries may have very different results in terms of a personal injury settlement. Below are some common factors which affect your personal injury settlement.

The Facts – As you might imagine, depending upon the facts, two cases with the same injuries may have dramatically different results in terms of what they may settle for, or what a jury awards. For example, an individual who is rear-ended in a car accident and suffers a concussion has a different case than an individual who has a grocery store slip and fall and suffers a concussion. Strong facts which clearly establish liability or fault will boost the value of your personal injury claim. Weaker facts, for instance where each driver claims the accident was not their fault, may lead to complications unless evidence can be obtained firmly establishing the fault of the other driver. If your claim involves wrongful death, pedestrians, or passengers, the outcome will differ as well.

Contributory Negligence – You can’t discuss estimated personal injury settlements in North Carolina without discussing Contributory Negligence. We’ve written extensively about Contributory Negligence in our blog because it affects many North Carolina personal injury claims. Generally speaking, Contributory Negligence is an affirmative defense. It is a rule in North Carolina which says that if a jury determines the plaintiff is 1% or more at fault, the jury is instructed to give the plaintiff nothing. This is an outdated rule and one your personal injury attorney must wrestle with in order to prove your case. While most claims do not go to court, insurance adjusters commonly introduce Contributory Negligence into the settlement conversation, to remind the plaintiff that there is a very serious risk in litigating a personal injury claim in North Carolina if it’s possible the jury determines the plaintiff was even 1% at fault.

Pre-Existing Injuries – While you are entitled to be compensated for your injuries, you will find the insurance company for the at-fault party will diligently research whether you had a pre-existing condition before this accident. Even a note in your prior medical records indicating a simple complaint regarding back pain will be used to demonstrate you had existing back pain prior to this accident. The two sides will end up arguing over the extent to which this accident worsened the back pain, and assign a value to that.

Rule 414 – Rule 414 is a rule of evidence that personal injury plaintiff’s attorneys are familiar with. The rule says that the only evidence of medical billing which can be introduced into evidence in court, is medical billing that has actually been paid, and medical billing which is still owed or outstanding. In short, if you have $100,000 of medical treatment, and Medicaid pays $5,000 to the hospital unless there is a remaining balance, your attorney will only be able to enter $5,000 into evidence at trial as medical billing. Because juries use medical billing dollar totals to help them calculate what they believe is a fair settlement, you can see how this tends to under-emphasize the extent of your injuries at trial. Your lawyer will also need to determine whether you have any Medical Liens as a result of your claim and negotiate them as part of the settlement. Once again, two clients who have the same exact injuries but different insurance coverage may see very different jury results in their personal injury verdicts.

Standard of Care – Generally, a claim of negligence requires you to show that a standard of care was owed to you by another person and was not fulfilled. This is called a Breach of Duty, in the personal injury world. In many slip and fall claims, obstacles arise in proving that the standard of care was breached. For instance, you may be able to prove that there was water on the floor of the grocery store and that you slipped in that water. However, if the store can prove that another customer spilled that water on the floor three minutes before you slipped in it, they will prevail on their argument that the store did not breach its duty to you—there wasn’t enough time for the store to discover and fix the dangerous condition. While there is no set rule for the amount of time a hazard must exist, slip and fall cases routinely turn on who created the hazard (another shopper or an employee), whether the store knew or should have known about the hazard, and how much time passed since the hazard was created.

Pain and Suffering – Pain and suffering is essentially what you endure as a direct result of the accident. When reviewing your settlement, the amount attributable to pain and suffering is anything above and beyond payment for medical bills and lost wages. Your lawyer will submit a demand package as part of the personal injury settlement process. That demand package will outline your pain and suffering and you will have a chance to review it prior to its submission.

Lost Wages – Lost wages are part of your claim. They will need to be verified by your employer. Your attorney will provide you with a form for your employer to complete, indicating your rate of pay, dates missed, and total lost wages. If you are self-employed, you will need to provide copies of tax returns from prior years and other evidence that your lawyer will use to construct a lost wages claim for submission.

The Reputation Of The Personal Injury Lawyer – If your personal injury attorney has a reputation of following through on claims, thoroughly investigating claims, and negotiating claims in good faith, we believe that you are able to maximize your settlement offer in your personal injury claim. If your attorney has a reputation of threatening to file a lawsuit but never follows through on that threat, you can imagine the insurance company may not take that lawyer’s claims as seriously as they will a claim from another law firm. One way to check the reputation of your lawyer is to look at their Google Reviews. We are proud of our history with clients and thankful that they choose to leave reviews about their experience.

Hiring a personal injury attorney is key in successfully negotiating your claim. The attorney is not simply arguing over dollars and cents; instead, the attorney is building your case using all of the above factors. By persuading the insurance adjuster that the lawyer will succeed with their case, you are more likely to maximize the settlement offer from the insurance company. Estimating personal injury settlements prior to having all the facts, medical records, and billing in hand is a bad idea for both you and your personal injury attorney. This process will require some patience, but hopefully, your patience will pay off with a fair settlement or jury verdict.

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 about estimated personal injury settlements 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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What Does A Car Accident Lawyer Cost?

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What Does A Car Accident Lawyer Cost?

The good news for personal injury victims is that a car accident lawyer does not cost anything upfront. If you work with The Layton Law Firm, PLLC for your car accident, you will not receive a bill from us. In fact, we don’t get paid anything unless we reach a settlement or jury verdict in your favor. This is known as a contingency fee, and it means that the lawyer’s fee is “contingent” upon getting you a result in your case. Even then, our fee is an agreed-upon percentage of the total settlement or verdict.

Why Doesn’t A Car Accident Lawyer Cost Anything Up Front?

If car accidents and slip and fall victims had to pay a lawyer upfront, most people would not get the representation they deserve. As a result, bad drivers and corporations would get away with bad behavior because people couldn’t afford to pay a lawyer to help them defend their rights. The contingency fee solves this problem.

Why You Can Trust Your Personal Injury Lawyer

One thing we love about the contingency fee is that you can trust your lawyer. If your lawyer thinks your case is a bad case, they won’t take it. And you won’t end up paying a lawyer by the hour to work on a bad case. If your lawyer has faith in your case—enough faith to take it on a contingency basis—then you know the lawyer believes in your case and is going to work hard to get you the best result. Finally, when it comes to deciding whether to accept a settlement offer, we believe you can trust your lawyer. After all, the lawyer is getting paid a percentage of the settlement. If the lawyer thinks the case is worth more, they will advise you not to settle. The contingency agreement keeps the lawyer and the client on the same ‘team’ even through tough decisions that often come up during personal injury cases.

Your Personal Injury Lawyer Wants To Get You As Much As Possible

Because your personal injury lawyer is getting paid a percentage of the settlement, they have the incentive to do everything possible to maximize your settlement for you. It’s important to know that your lawyer and their staff are putting in extensive time and effort to build your case. They do all of this without knowing what the outcome will be. Again, because they believe in your case, you can have faith that they are doing everything possible to make sure you are treated fairly in the end. If they don’t get a result, the answer to the question “What does a car accident lawyer cost?” is “Nothing.”

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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How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer?

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How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer?

It doesn’t cost anything to hire a personal injury lawyer when you work with The Layton Law Firm, PLLC. Our firm works on a contingency basis. This means we only get paid if we are able to reach a settlement or a jury verdict for you. If we are unable to reach a settlement or verdict for you, you will not receive a bill.

The contingency arrangement allows those injured in car accidents, workers’ compensation accidents, and slip and fall accidents to obtain legal representation without spending money to do so. This is an extremely important aspect of our legal system. By providing clients with legal representation, personal injury lawyers are protecting everyday consumers from large insurance companies and their corporate legal teams.

How Do I Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer?

Hiring a personal injury lawyer is easy. When you work with The Layton Law Firm, PLLC, you can complete most of the intake online. There are a few docs that need to be signed. We can meet with you in the office to sign that paperwork, or if it’s more convenient for you, we can mail or email it to you to sign. We’re flexible. Whatever is easiest for you works for us.

Once you have signed a contract with the firm, we will send a Letter of Representation to the insurance company for the at-fault party. The letter of representation will confirm we represent you in the personal injury matter. It also requests all transcripts or recordings of conversations or statements you may have made to the insurance adjuster for the other side.

Will The Layton Law Firm Take My Case?

We can’t take every case that we are presented with; however, you deserve to speak with a lawyer about your case so you can understand your rights. Our free consultations are meant to help us understand your case, and provide you with what we believe to be your options for moving forward. If we are unable to take your case for some reason, we will explain why, and try to refer you to another law firm we think would be a good fit for the case.

Is My Case Too Small For A Personal Injury Lawyer?

Many clients mistakenly believe that personal injury lawyers only take large cases. This simply is not true. We take on minor accident cases every day at our firm, and we are just as interested in helping and protecting those clients as we are in working on larger cases.

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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Who Pays For Your Rental Car After An Accident?

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Who Pays For Your Rental Car After An Accident?

Depending upon the situation, the at fault driver should pay for your rental car after an accident. However, the obstacle to this is that the at fault driver’s insurance company wants to investigate the claim. This is true even if it is a rear end accident with clear liability. The insurance investigation can take a few weeks—too long for you to wait for a them to approve a rental car.

Your Insurance Policy May Have Rental Coverage

You should check to see if your insurance policy has rental car coverage. Your North Carolina auto insurance policy may have rental car coverage. If it does, the rental car will be paid for by your insurance company. Then, your insurance company will pursue the at fault driver’s insurance company for a reimbursement. The good news is you don’t have to wait for an investigation to take place before being provided with a rental car after the accident. When you speak with the insurance company, you should also confirm whether you have Medical Payments coverage to assist with your medical bills and medical liens from the car accident.

You Can Pay For Your Rental Car After An Accident

Another option is for you to pay for the rental car after the accident. Not a good option, but if you do pay for the rental car, you can seek reimbursement from the at fault driver’s insurance company once their investigation is complete. Keep in mind, the at fault driver’s insurance company will do everything they can to pay the lowest daily amount for a rental car. It is a rare situation to be reimbursed in full for a rental car you paid for on your own.

Legal Representation Often Makes All The Difference

If you’ve been in an accident and you can’t get the other driver’s insurance company to pay for a rental car, call a lawyer. Having legal representation makes all the difference when it comes to personal injury claims. If our firm represents you for your personal injury, we will assist you with your property damage claim at no additional charge. This includes providing guidance as to how to get the at fault driver’s insurance company to pay for a rental car.

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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Lost Income From Car Accidents

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Lost Income From Car Accidents

If you’re in a car accident, chances are you will have lost income. Lost income from car accidents can be recovered in a personal injury claim. Your Charlotte personal injury attorney must establish or prove the amount of time lost, the wages associated with that time, and the connection to the accident. The key is documenting all aspects of your lost wages claim in order to recover lost income from your accident. You can significantly change how much your car accident is worth, with a successful lost wages claim.

Establishing Your Wages Prior To The Car Accident

In order to claim lost income from car accidents, you must first establish the wages you were making before the car accident. The personal injury adjuster will want to see proof of your wages, which can be established by some or all of the following:

Tax Returns

W2 Forms

Pay Stubs

A Signed, Notarized Wage Form From Your Employer

When you provide one or more of the above items to your personal injury lawyer, they can use that documentation as the foundation to prove the wage you were earning right before the car accident occurred. Unless there was a change in your employment status, it is safe to assume the same wage would have been paid to you if you continued to work and had never been in the accident.

Establishing Your Missed Hours

Your employer will need to complete a Lost Wages Form for your injury lawyer. Typically, someone at your job with authority to do so will complete the form. The form will need to disclose your average weekly hours, your hourly wage, the date range during which you missed work, and the total hours missed. With this information, your lawyer can calculate the total wages lost as a direct result of the accident.

Claiming Lost Earning Capacity

There are some instances in which your car accident may lead to a permanent reduction in your ability to earn wages. For instance, if your car accident leads to a permanent disability rating, it will most likely mean you can no longer work full time, or can no longer perform the job you performed prior to the accident.

In order to claim any sort of permanent lost earning capacity, you will need a doctor to verify your disability. Your personal injury lawyer can work with you in order to obtain an opinion from an independent medical examiner, which will indicate your lost wage earning capacity. This opinion will serve as evidence, whether your claim is a Workers’ Compensation claim or a personal injury claim.  It’s important to note that the attorney for the insurance company will most likely find a way to provide an opinion which argues there is not permanent lost earning capacity resulting from the accident. Both sides will argue these points as they negotiate the lost income from your car accident.

Claiming Lost Wages If You’re Self-Employed

If you are self-employed, you can expect a much more difficult process regarding a lost wages claim from a car accident. Self-employed individuals are often paid inconsistently due to the nature of being self-employed. Your attorney will work with you to gather as much information as possible in order to support your claim. What is most beneficial is to have a strong history of self-employment income which can be compared to your income after the accident.

Speak With A Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Concerned about getting a fair offer from an insurance adjuster for your car accident? Get legal protection today—it’s only a phone call away. 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 regarding “Lost income from car accidents” 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.

If you have significant economic losses from a personal injury claim and you’re having trouble paying bills, you may consider a Bankruptcy filing. You can read about your options on our Bankruptcy Blog.

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