At Brown Moore & Associates, PLLC, our Charlotte car accident attorney have more than 50 years of combined legal experience pursuing maximum compensation for injury victims. We have the resources necessary to conduct a full investigation into your crash in order to determine liability and properly calculate your total expected expenses.
Speaking with a responsible attorney immediately after a car accident or personal injury is almost always in your best interest because we can advise you on what information to present that (1) doesn’t jeopardize your claim, and (2) maximizes your ability to recover.
At Brown Moore & Associates, PLLC, we offer more than 50 years of combined experience pursuing maximum compensation for accident victims and families with wrongful death claims in Charlotte, NC, and surrounding areas. A car accident lawyer from our firm will apply our years of experience and legal skills to help you obtain a full recovery from a personal injury claim, such as:
- Medical negligence
- Birth injury claim
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Accidents involving government-owned vehicles
- Premises liability claim
- Defective product claim
- Airplane and boating accidents
- Accidents involving children and adolescents
Offering a Hands-on Approach to Personal Injury Victims in Charlotte
When we evaluate your personal injury case, we will focus on several key aspects, including the following:
- Circumstances of the accident
- The extent of your injuries
- Long-term needs, including medical treatment, personal care, and accommodations for any disabilities
- Liability: Determining who was negligent
- Insurance issues: Identifying the financial resources available to you
Our car accident attorney in Charlotte knows the complexities and challenges accident victims face. Not all law firms focus on handling the practical issues involved in a personal injury accident in addition to pursuing maximum compensation for accident victims.
At Brown Moore & Associates, PLLC, we believe our job is to provide comprehensive services during a time of uncertainty. We are committed to helping accident victims hold at-fault parties accountable while seeking maximum compensation for their ongoing medical needs, lost wages, pain, and suffering, and other damages associated with the personal injury accident. We also help clients understand how they can get their medical bills covered following a personal injury accident. Our legal team provides practical advice encouraging you to follow your doctors’ orders. We want to help you get better and mitigate your losses.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Charlotte, North Carolina?
- Establishing who was at fault and whether they were negligent can be difficult. If someone contests liability after a car accident, it might be necessary to hire investigators to figure out exactly what happened and establish negligence. Experienced car accident lawyers know where to look for evidence that supports your case.
- You might admit fault without intending to. Insurance companies might try to obtain your statement and ask certain questions that can cause you to admit full or partial liability for an accident. These statements can limit your ability to recover compensation for your injuries, medical expenses, and damages to your vehicle. Attorneys can act on your behalf and deal directly with the insurance companies.
- Some car accident injuries don’t appear for a while after the accident, sometimes weeks or months. Don’t wait for medical problems to worsen before seeking medical and legal assistance. If someone else’s negligence caused the accident, it is in your best interest to talk with an experienced accident lawyer as soon as possible. He/she will help you understand all of your options to obtain fair compensation for all of your expenses, including vehicle repair costs, medical and hospital expenses, prescription medications, physical rehab costs, lost wages (past and future), and pain and suffering.
- Car accident lawyers have experience anticipating and avoiding obstacles. If the other driver or the insurance company is low-balling you, attorneys can advise you about your options for filing a lawsuit and going to court to obtain fair compensation and a positive outcome.
- You are at a disadvantage if you try to act alone. Depending on the circumstance, there may be witnesses and evidence (missing or hidden evidence) needed to bolster your claim. It can be intimidating to deal with medical insurance and auto insurance companies. Lawyers who specialize in car accident cases will educate you about the best way to proceed.
- In car accident cases, you have a right to maximize your recovery from all available sources. Make sure that you are not dealing with a law firm “settlement mill” that has hundreds of cases overseen by paralegals or case managers, where they try to rush your case through without maximizing your chances for full compensation.
- Street cameras, computerized car systems, and recorders, cell phones – all of these devices make it likely that evidence about the accident is on one or more of these devices, and could become a factor. Police will investigate the scene of the accident, and you might be asked questions or asked to provide a written statement. Your answers to these questions immediately after an accident can have an impact on your case.
- Auto accident claims can go in lots of different directions, and without an experienced attorney on your side, you limit your ability to receive full compensation for damages and injuries. The fine print on medical insurance and auto insurance can be difficult to understand.
How Often do Accidents Occur in Our Area?
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, we can see that there were more than 280,000 total vehicle crashes during the latest reporting year across the state. Out of these incidents, there were:
- 1,442 total traffic crash fatalities
- 125,454 total traffic crash injuries
When we look closer at the city-specific data provided by the DOT, we can say that there were more than 34,000 total vehicle crashes in Charlotte during the latest reporting year. Out of those incidents, there were 96 fatalities and more than 18,000 injuries. Charlotte is a very crowded area, and this tends to lead to more accidents occurring here than in other areas throughout the state.
The Costs of Car Accidents in the United States
Motor vehicle accidents can cause tremendous and permanent damage to those involved in the collision and their family members. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a comprehensive report attempting to put a dollar value on the total amount of loss experienced due to motor vehicle collisions. The agency found that the economic costs alone totaled almost $900 for each and every person living within the United States.
The cost of car accidents should be paid by those responsible for causing the collisions. This may include drivers who break the rules or who are careless in some way while traveling on the road. If carmakers produce dangerous vehicles or defective car seats, they too can be held accountable. Even those responsible for designing and/or maintaining the roads could potentially be liable when their failures lead to accidents. A Charlotte auto accident lawyer can provide assistance to those who have been harmed and help them determine who to sue to obtain the compensation they need to cover crash losses.
Accident Are Very Costly
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) reviewed data on the number of motor vehicle collisions in 2010 to determine the societal costs of car crashes. There were 32,999 deaths, 3.9 million non-fatal motor vehicle collision injuries, and 24 million accidents that only caused property damage over that period of time. Based on the information obtained about the crashes over the course of that year, NHTSA concluded that the total aggregate losses from vehicle wrecks were around $871 billion. This includes $277 billion in actual economic or financial loss. It also includes $594 billion in losses due to decreased quality of life, earlier deaths, and other non-financial consequences that crash victims suffered.
High car accident costs at the time were also driven by those who operated a vehicle while impaired. Around 18 percent of the total economic losses experienced in the United States due to car crashes occurred in accidents where a driver was under the influence of alcohol. An estimated $158 per person in the U.S. was lost due to drunk driving crashes, and the total bill for damages was around $199 billion.
Speeding and distraction were the other two prime reasons why the bill for accident losses is so high. Speed-related collisions accounted for 21 percent of all economic and societal losses experienced by the nation in 2010. An average of $191 was lost per person due to damages from speeding accidents, and the total bill was around $59 million. The distraction caused slightly less harm, as distracted drivers were responsible for around 17 percent of total economic loss due to car accidents. Still, the bill for distracted driving crashes, including collisions caused by driver’s text-messaging, was around $46 billion.
Individuals and families are typically not equipped to fully cover their own losses after a crash. Those who were responsible for causing the accident should be responsible for paying the bills so those who have been physically harmed do not also suffer financial loss. Brown Moore and Associates can assist individuals with pursuing a damage claim. Call us today.
Hire a Serious Car Accident Lawyer in Charlotte, North Carolina
For many decades, engineers, legislators, and law enforcement organizations have fought a good fight against injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents. Engineers work to make cars more crash-worthy and roads better designed. Legislators pass laws designed to protect people who travel our roads and highways — such as placing limits on driving privileges for teenagers. Law enforcement agents conduct DUI checks on holidays, such as New Year’s Eve when many people tend to drive while intoxicated.
Despite all these well-intentioned efforts at making driving safer, accidental injuries continue to be a painful fact of life in our fast-paced world. You may have arrived at this web page because you or a family member was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident in North Carolina or South Carolina — or because you lost a loved one in a fatal car wreck.
Motor vehicle accidents may involve any combination of the following:
- Cars
- SUVs
- Vans and mini-vans
- Commercial vehicles
- Delivery trucks
- Semis (tractor-trailers, big rigs, 18 wheelers)
- Buses
- Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs)
- Motorcycles
- Motor scooters
- RVs (recreational vehicles) and campers
- Cars pulling trailers and boats
- Bicycles are ridden by professional messengers, recreational bikers, commuters, and children
- Pedestrians
- Trains
Causes of motor vehicle accidents include the following:
- Human error
- Distracted driving
- Texting while driving
- Inexperienced drivers
- Driver fatigue
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (drunk driving, drugged driving)
- Road defects
- Weather conditions, including blinding sunlight, fog, and heavy rain
- Construction zones
Brown Moore & Associates PLLC has handled hundreds of car and truck accident cases. Our car accident lawyers are very involved in every aspect of each client’s personal injury case.
Contact a car accident attorney in Charlotte at our law firm today to schedule a free initial consultation in:
Being involved in a road accident can be a frightening and traumatizing experience. In many car accidents in Charlotte and elsewhere in North Carolina, drivers and passengers are left with physical injuries and disabilities, while more than 1,400 people die in car crashes in the state each year, as reported by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV).
Car accident victims in North Carolina have to deal with mounting medical bills, property damages, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and a plethora of other consequences of car crashes.
Many victims might feel that there is no one there to help them. However, you can get help from a Charlotte car accident attorney from Brown Moore & Associates, PLLC, to not only become more knowledgeable about North Carolina personal injury laws but also to deal with insurance companies.
Insurers in North Carolina always try to find ways to avoid paying claims or undervalue the victims’ injuries because this is their way of making money. Here at Brown Moore & Associates, PLLC, our best car accident lawyers in North Carolina have taken on big insurance companies to protect thousands of people.
Should I Move My Car After an Accident in North Carolina?
Unless your car is clearly blocking traffic, you do not have to move your automobile after a road accident in Charlotte or elsewhere in North Carolina. Moreover, leaving your vehicle where it is can help establish fault more accurately. If your vehicle is blocking traffic, on the other hand, make sure that you take photos of the scene of the crash prior to moving your car. Focus on any skid marks, traffic signs, vehicle damage, and other things that might be useful for the investigation.
Should I Notify My Insurance Company After the Crash?
Although you do have a legal obligation to call your insurance company and notify it about the collision, our Charlotte car accident lawyer warns you against doing it if you are not prepared for that conversation. What we mean is that calling your insurers as soon as possible, while you are still experiencing shock, can be a huge mistake because your insurance company will be trying to take advantage of your confusion and shock to get you to admit fault.
Do not contact your insurance company after a car crash without consulting with a skilled lawyer first.
What Should I Tell Insurance Companies After a Car Accident?
Our Charlotte car accident attorney from Brown Moore & Associates, PLLC, advises you to give insurers only the basic information about the crash, and stick to the facts. The only information that you need to provide when reporting the accident is when and where it happened, and who was involved. Also, refuse to give recorded statements.
What Should I Do if the Other Party’s Insurer Contacts Me?
You do not have to answer any questions asked by the other driver’s insurance company. You can refer them to your Charlotte car accident lawyer so that he or she can handle the communications on your behalf so that (a) you can focus on your physical recovery, and (b) you do not end up saying something that would compromise your claim.
Should I Accept the Initial Settlement Offer from the Insurance Company?
Absolutely not. It might seem like you can finally get at least some amount of compensation, our car crash lawyers in North Carolina warn you against accepting the insurance company’s settlement offer because you do not know what your claim is actually worth. Before accepting the offer, discuss your case with a skilled attorney to evaluate your financial damages and losses.
Get a case evaluation for free by contacting Brown Moore & Associates, PLLC. Call our attorneys at 704-335-1500 to discuss your legal case.
