What Compensation Could I Be Entitled to in a Personal Injury Case?
Personal injury compensation covers far more than just your current medical bills. We fight for maximum compensation that addresses every way this injury has changed your life, such as the following:
- Medical expenses include everything from the ambulance ride to ongoing physical therapy. We make sure your settlement covers future surgeries, medications, medical equipment, and any care you’ll need down the line.
- Lost wages mean more than just the paychecks you’ve already missed. We also pursue compensation for reduced earning capacity if you can’t return to your previous work.
- Property damage, whether to your vehicle or to other belongings, can result in substantial financial loss that deserves reimbursement.
- Physical pain disrupts your sleep, daily activities, and overall quality of life.
- Emotional anguish from trauma, anxiety, and depression requires treatment and time to heal.
- Lost enjoyment of life matters when injuries prevent you from playing with your children, pursuing hobbies, or being intimate with your spouse.
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement affects your confidence and how others treat you.
Our team understands how to maximize your compensation for all these losses, even the intangible ones that don’t come with invoices or receipts. In cases where someone hurts you intentionally or through extreme recklessness, the court may award you punitive damages. This monetary award is capped at three times your actual damages or $250,000, whichever is greater, and it’s meant to send a message to the wrongdoer that such behavior won’t be tolerated.
While money can’t undo what happened, maximum compensation gives you the resources to rebuild your life. Reach out to us today to learn how a personal injury attorney in Charlotte can help with your case.
Can I Still Get Compensation If I Was Partly to Blame for My Injuries?
In personal injury cases, North Carolina follows a strict rule called “pure contributory negligence.” It says that if you’re even 1 percent at fault for your injuries, you get no compensation at all.
Insurance companies are notorious for exploiting this rule. They’ll claim you were walking too fast, not paying enough attention, or somehow should have seen the danger coming. Insurers often hire investigators to find any possible way to shift blame onto you. Even the slightest mistake can become a reason to deny your entire injury claim.
This is why having an experienced personal injury lawyer in Charlotte is crucial. At Dr. Ted Injury Law, we know how to build evidence proving the other party was 100 percent responsible. We counter all blame-shifting tactics that insurance companies use. Our experience works for you to protect your right to maximum compensation when you truly weren’t at fault.
How Long Do I Have in North Carolina to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
North Carolina law generally gives you three years from your injury date to file a personal injury lawsuit. This rule, which is called the statute of limitations, makes this deadline absolute. If you miss it, you lose your right to recover any compensation for your case. Courts won’t even listen to your lawsuit, no matter how badly you were hurt or how clear the other party’s fault.
However, different situations have different deadlines, such as the following:
- Claims against government entities often require written notice within six months.
- Wrongful death cases have only two years.
- Medical malpractice involving foreign objects left in the body might extend to one year from discovery.
- Children injured in accidents typically have until their 21st birthday.
Waiting can hurt your case in other ways. For example, witnesses could forget what they saw or change their contact information without letting you know. Security footage often gets deleted, and physical evidence disappears. The insurance company counts on these delays to weaken your case. Starting early with Dr. Ted Injury Law protects your rights and gives us the best chance to build a winning case.
Discover how we can make a difference in your personal injury claim by reaching out to us today for your free, no-obligation case evaluation.
How Long Does a Typical Personal Injury Case Last?
Every personal injury case moves at its own pace. Simple cases with clear fault and moderate injuries might settle in three to six months. Complex cases involving severe injuries or disputed liability often take 12 to 18 months. If we need to go to trial, expect two years or more, especially with Mecklenburg County’s busy court schedules.
Moreover, we need to understand your injuries fully before negotiating. Settling too early leaves you without money for future treatments. Our lawyers typically wait until you reach maximum medical improvement, when doctors can predict your long-term prognosis.
The insurance company’s behavior is also a significant factor. Some adjusters negotiate fairly, while others deliberately delay, hoping financial pressure forces you to accept less money than you actually need. We push for quick resolution while fighting for maximum compensation; to us, speed means nothing if it shortchanges your recovery.
What Are Common Personal Injury Cases?
Our Charlotte attorneys handle different types of personal injury cases every day, including the following:
- Car Accidents – We fight for victims of negligent driving on Charlotte’s freeways and residential roads.
- Truck Accidents – Commercial vehicle crashes on I-85 and I-485 cause catastrophic injuries due to the size differences between trucks and cars.
- Motorcycle Accidents – Charlotte riders suffer severe injuries when drivers fail to share the road safely or check their blind spots.
- Drunk-Driving Accident Injuries – Impaired drivers destroy lives, and victims deserve both maximum compensation and justice.
- Medical Malpractice – When healthcare providers at Charlotte hospitals harm patients through negligence, we hold them accountable.
- Wrongful Death – Families who lose loved ones to someone else’s negligence need both financial security and strong legal advocacy.
- Work-Related Injuries – Employees may be eligible for workers’ compensation, but third-party claims against equipment manufacturers or contractors can sometimes provide additional recovery.
- Premises Liability – Property owners throughout Charlotte must maintain safe conditions or face responsibility when people get hurt.
- Slip-and-Fall Injuries – Wet floors, uneven surfaces, and poor lighting in stores and businesses injure thousands each year.
- Dog Bites – Animal attacks cause physical wounds requiring extensive treatment, as well as long-lasting psychological trauma.
What Types of Injuries Happen Due to Personal Injury Accidents?
Personal injury accidents cause many forms of harm that can lead to temporary pain, permanent disability, or anything in between. Dr. Ted’s medical expertise helps us recognize the full scope of injuries, including the following:
- Brain injuries affect an individual’s thinking, personality, and physical abilities. Even “mild” concussions cause lasting problems with memory, concentration, and mood. Severe traumatic brain injuries can require lifelong care.
- Spinal damage creates problems throughout your body. Herniated discs cause shooting pain, while severe spinal cord injuries lead to paralysis requiring wheelchairs and round-the-clock care.
- Broken bones, especially complex fractures, may require surgery with metal hardware, months of physical therapy, and often leave permanent limitations.
- Internal injuries can involve dangerous complications that might not show symptoms immediately but require emergency surgery.
- Soft tissue injuries like whiplash don’t show on X-rays but cause years of pain and restricted movement.
- Burns require excruciating treatments and leave permanent scars.
- Psychological trauma, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, often accompanies physical injuries and needs long-term treatment.
Contact a Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Dr. Ted and our experienced attorneys understand not just the law, but also the medical matters that make up and affect your injuries. This knowledge helps us fight for every dollar you deserve.
Call the Lawyer Who’s Also a Doctor and maximize your recovery. Contact Dr. Ted Injury Law today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Charlotte personal injury attorney. You pay nothing unless we win your case. That means no upfront costs and no attorney bills until we get you results.
Don’t be misled — call Dr. Ted!