The Catastrophic Injury Blog
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INFORMATIVE ARTICLES
CATASTROPHIC INJURY
P: 828-252-2852
FREQUENTLY ASKED PERSONAL INJURY QUESTIONS
What will the lawyer cost?
Lawyers generally handle injury cases on a contingency or percentage (%) basis. The fee is charged after a settlement or jury verdict is reached. If you lose the claim, you would not owe the lawyer any fee for his/her time under a contingency fee. Costs for obtaining medical records, accident reports, copies, long distance phone calls and other "out of pocket" expenses are payable by you regardless of the outcome.
Q. I was involved in a car accident while working. Can I make a claim against the car insurance in addition to the workers’ compensation insurance company?
A. Yes. You will likely have a workers’ compensation claim regardless of how the car accident occurred. If the wreck was caused by someone else’s negligence, you will also have a personal injury claim against the responsible party. You should consult a lawyer familiar with both personal injury and workers’ compensation law to make sure these claims are brought in proper legal procedure. Failure to coordinate both claims could result in enforceable liens of one or both of the insurance payouts.
Should I go to the hospital if I don't have pain?
Most health care providers recommend that you go to the Emergency Room to make sure you don't have hidden or delayed injuries. Even if you don't go to the Emergency Room for a check up, you should schedule a doctor appointment to be certain you have no injuries.
How long do I have to bring my claim?
North Carolina law generally gives you three (3) years to file a lawsuit for personal injury. Wrongful death claims usually have a two (2) year time limit. North Carolina law only applies if the accident happened in North Carolina.
If I employ a lawyer, do I have to go to court?
No. Most lawyers will try and settle the case before filing a lawsuit and going to court. While the time between filing a lawsuit and the time of getting a jury trial vary form count to county, a safe estimate of the time it takes to get a case resolved in court is usually around twelve (12) months. New alternative dispute resolutions methods are growing in usage and popularity. Mediation and/or arbitration may be a way to get an independent judge to evaluate the claim and help resolve the differences in the evaluation of the claim. Even after a lawsuit has been filed, settlements of lawsuits can occur at any time. Lawsuits can be settled while the jury is still deciding the case or even...
What if the insurance company will not make a reasonable offer to settle?
There is no fixed formula for deciding what a claim is worth. What is "reasonable" depends on who is evaluating the claim. Insurance companies have a lot more experience evaluating and anticipating what a claim might be worth than you do. It is extremely important that you select a lawyer that has experience and is knowledgeable of the value of similar claims in you area. Valuations of cases vary from county to county and city to city. Consultation with local counsel is critical.
CATASTROPHIC INJURY VIDEO LIBRARY
Our Video Library is not closed-captioned. Instead of embedding our videos, we have created posts for them, where full transcripts of can be found.
Click on the links below to view the video and its transcript.
