Car Accident Lawyer Jacksonville NC

Car Accident Lawyer Jacksonville NC

 

Avoiding car accidents does not only depend on you, unfortunately. No matter how safely you may operate your vehicle, you are likely to encounter others who do not show that same care. When a negligent or reckless driver causes a crash that leaves you injured, our Car Accident Lawyer Jacksonville NC team from Ricci Law Firm, P.A. can help you hold that driver accountable for compensation.

A car accident lawyer in Jacksonville, NC is here to listen to your situation, offer personal support, and take your claim through the legal process. Our goals are to ensure your needs are met by securing your financial stability, and to help you move toward a healthier, more hopeful future. 

Potential Compensation for Car Accident Claims

You may be entitled to significant economic and non-economic damages for injuries and other consequences of a car accident. Economic damages pay you back for the financial losses sustained. Typically, economic damages compensate you for:

  • Medical bills, including related future-care needs
  • Income loss, and projected wage and benefits loss, if applicable
  • Repairs to or replacement of damaged property
  • Other expenses, such as childcare or transportation, if you can no longer manage these responsibilities

Your physical pain, debilitation, emotional suffering, and diminished quality of life also matter. Non-economic damages provide financial acknowledgement of these losses. 

Factors That May Affect Settlement or Trial Awards

You may secure compensation through negotiations with the at-fault party or through a trial award. Negotiated settlements happen out of court, and these cases usually resolve more quickly than those that go through the court system. 

Know What Your Case is Worth

Some law firms may encourage clients to accept settlements, even if the case is worth more, to avoid a protracted court battle. Ricci Law Firm, P.A. will value your case with care and fight for the maximum. If the other side refuses to offer a fair amount through negotiations, we will help you decide the best path forward. If that path involves a trial, we will provide aggressive, effective representation as we work toward a favorable outcome.

Placing a Value on Pain and Emotional Distress 

Every car accident has its own individual factors that determine the value of the personal injury claim. They include:

  • The severity of your injuries
  • How your injuries affect your earning capacity
  • How your injuries affect how you live
  • Expenses incurred by your injuries and disability
  • The extent of your pain 
  • The depth of your emotional suffering
  • The strength of the evidence against the at-fault party
  • The effectiveness of your legal representation

You can count on our car accidents lawyers to consider all factors when determining the value of your claim. As our results show, we offer exceptional representation, and have secured seven- and eight-figure compensation amounts for deserving car accident victims.   

Injuries Common to Jacksonville Car Accidents

Sadly, there is no shortage of the types of injuries you can experience in a car accident. Some injuries might heal with time, but can still affect your life and cause serious pain temporarily. Others may never heal fully, leaving you with chronic pain or other lifelong consequences. Catastrophic injuries cause tremendous upheaval, often resulting in permanent cognitive and/or physical damage. 

Possible injuries include:

  • Broken bones
  • Nerve, muscle, and other soft tissue damage
  • Burns
  • Whiplash
  • Deep lacerations
  • Amputations
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Internal bleeding
  • Organ damage
  • Spinal cord injuries

Your attorney will talk to your care team and other medical professionals to determine the specific cause of your injuries, treatment regimens, and prognosis. These elements all factor into your case’s development and compensation demand.

Establishing Negligence in a Car Accident Case

To win a car accident claim, you must prove the at-fault party’s negligence. “Negligence” comprises four elements, and your car accident attorneys will seek evidence for each. 

Duty of Care

You must show the at-fault party owed you an obligation of safety, called a duty of care. Those required to fulfill this duty must take measures to support your safety and avoid actions compromising your safety. All drivers owe others sharing the roads a duty of care. They must take care to uphold all traffic laws, practice safe driving behaviors, and refrain from unsafe ones.

Breach in Duty

Next, you must prove the at-fault party breached their duty of care. In some way, they failed to uphold your safety. For example, a driver may operate the vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or drive too fast for conditions.

Causation

Proving causation involves linking the driver’s breach in duty directly to the accident causing your injuries. You must prove the breach, and not some other factor, led to the event. For example, a drunk driver may have seemingly run a red light, causing the crash. However, later evidence may show that the traffic light was defective. In this case, the drunk driver may face criminal charges for driving drunk, but may not be liable for the accident.

Measurable Damages

Your lawyer will work to prove the accident cost you measurable damages. Evidence will likely include your medical and other bills, calculated lost wages, and testimony regarding your pain and suffering.

North Carolina’s Negligence Laws

North Carolina’s negligence laws are not victim-friendly. The State is one of four, plus Washington D.C., following this system. As explained by the North Carolina Department of Insurance (DOI), victims can only seek damages if they bear no fault for the accident. You can count on the at-fault party to work hard to put even the smallest amount of blame on you to avoid making a payout. Ricci Law Firm, P.A. will fight to protect you from those accusations and preserve your opportunity to get justice for your injuries and suffering. 

Severe Car Accidents are Frequent in Jacksonville and Onslow County

Recent statistics from North Carolina’s 2023 Crash Facts show that the 284,157 crashes seen statewide over a one-year timespan produced 1,686 deaths and 115,009 injured victims. In the last reporting year, Jacksonville saw:

  • 1,452 total crashes
  • 4 deaths
  • 569 injured victims

For the same year, Onslow County saw a total of 3,946 crashes, leading to 28 fatalities and 1,677 injury victims.

Where Do Most Car Accidents Occur in Jacksonville, NC?

In general, some of the most common places for car accidents include parking lots, at stop-sign sites, on rural highways, and on two-lane roads. Particularly dangerous locations in Jacksonville are Highways 24, 258, 17, and 53. 

There are several hazards specific to these roads:

  • They often have heavy traffic. The more vehicles on the road, the higher the accident probability
  • They have complicated interchanges. Merge and exit points can be confusing
  • Some of the roads have both local and through traffic, with the respective vehicles traveling at different speeds. The speed differences can contribute to crashes
  • Road features include hills and curves, limiting visibility. Bad weather conditions elevate the associated risks
  • Some roads are not properly maintained or lack safety features. They may have inadequate lighting or lane barriers

Negligence is the Leading Cause of Jacksonville Car Accidents

Determining the cause of an accident is a critical step in identifying the at-fault party. Our team will implement a detailed investigation to make these discoveries. 

Alcohol or Drug Use

Driving while impaired is not only dangerous, but unlawful. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission (NHTSA) 32% of all traffic crash fatalities involved drunk drivers. Of the 1,452 crashes in Jacksonville, alcohol contributed to 59, leading to one death and 42 injured victims.

Driver Distraction

North Carolina has a texting ban in place for drivers. However, texting is not the only distraction that can cause accidents. Driving while eating, drinking, arguing, attending to children, or while being lulled by scenery or the rhythm of the road are all examples of distracted driving. 

Traffic Violations

Speeding, driving too fast for road or weather conditions, failing to stop at stop signs or red lights are all traffic violations. Even those committed in error “count.” Drivers must be vigilant and focused on compliance at all times. 

Vehicle Problems

Vehicle defects or malfunctions, such as faulty brake or steering systems or weak tires, can cause a crash. Vehicle manufacturers, part installers, inspectors, and mechanics have varying responsibilities when it comes to producing safe vehicles and maintaining vehicle safety.

Travel Conditions

Potholes, uneven surfaces, debris, and other road defects pose travel hazards. So do broken traffic signals, faded road markings, and poor road lighting. 

Who May be Held Liable in a Car Accident Claim

Finding the cause of the accident will help your car accident attorney determine the at-fault party. Possible liable parties include:

  • Another driver
  • A vehicle manufacturer
  • Mechanic
  • Government Agency

If your claim is against a government agency for their failure to maintain roads and other travel conditions under their purview, the processes for filing and pursuing a claim are more complicated than those for claims against private individuals or companies. Our experienced team can handle the process no matter who is at fault.

Why You Should Connect With a Jacksonville Car Accident Lawyer Near You

Forming a fast legal partnership is in your best interests after a car accident. For one, by connecting quickly, you give your attorney time to investigate and file your claim within North Carolina’s three-year statute of limitations. Failure to file by this legal deadline could cause you to lose your day in court. Since some cases merit extensions, you should never assume you have run out of time without contacting Ricci Law Firm, P.A. for a free case consultation.

Evidence

Evidence collection is often more productive when conducted in the early aftermath of an accident. Eyewitnesses’ testimonies are fresher. Security or traffic camera footage is more likely to be intact and available. If necessary, we can send evidence preservation letters to those representing the at-fault party to protect potential information from getting lost–whether by accident or on purpose.

Protection

Your car accident attorney also offers protection. After an accident, the insurance company is not on your side. Quite the opposite. They will look for opportunities to discredit your account of what happened, minimize your injuries and other losses, and deflect blame. Or, they might know their party showed full negligence, and jump in with a fast-but-low offer, hoping you will not call their bluff and accept it. 

Insurance representatives may try to intimidate you into accepting that offer, telling you if you do not take it, you will end up with nothing, or capitalize on your vulnerable state and convince you the offer is generous–that acceptance will help you move forward.  Your lawyer will handle all communication with insurance companies. We will protect you from saying things that could be used against you, from falling for intimidation tactics, and ultimately from accepting less than your case and your needs demand.

Important Steps After a Car Accident in North Carolina

Our team has tips to consider after a car accident. Following them in the moments and hours after the event can protect your potential case.  

As long as you will not cause further injury by moving, take pictures of the accident scene. Capture the position of and damage to the cars. Document the road and traffic conditions and note camera locations. Get contact information from witnesses. Take pictures of the other drivers’ licenses and insurance and registration information.

See a doctor as soon as possible, but no more than a day after the incident. Fast diagnosis and treatment can help your recovery and prevent the at-fault party from claiming you hurt yourself by delaying care, or from arguing your injuries could not be as serious as you claim if they did not demand immediate attention. 

Then, reach out to Ricci Law Firm, P.A. for help. Keep your focus on healing, and we will focus on building your case. 

We Are Committed to Your Fight for Justice

The personal injury team at Ricci Law Firm P.A. has over 150 years of combined experience, and we are ready to pour that experience, our energy, and our resources into your case. When someone else causes you harm, they need to pay you back for the subsequent losses. 

Victims should not bear the financial costs of another party’s negligence. Connect with a call or a message to schedule your free case review. We are here to lead your fight for justice.