Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney

Though we all try our best to stay safe, injuries and accidents happen from time to time. However, some of these events can affect the victim’s life for a long time, even permanently. It is possible for one singular mistake to have lasting and painful ramifications for the injured and their families and can even ruin their way of life.

After an accident occurs, the individual or group that has been injured begins the healing process. While this is happening, medical bills from hospitals, doctors, specialists, and treatments all begin to accumulate. The injured individual has to face crippling medical debt on top of healing their mind and body. The stress of financial responsibility can significantly hinder the healing process. Now is the time to start thinking about hiring a Charlotte personal injury attorney.

This whole process is even more difficult when the victim wasn’t at fault for the accident; because of someone else’s negligence and carelessness, the victim is in a position of physical and financial uncertainty.

Fortunately, there are systems in place to protect those who have been injured at the fault of another person. Personal injury cases are often incredibly helpful to those who have been hurt, as the settlement can provide financial support while they heal from the accident.

Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler: Your Charlotte Personal Injury Attorneys

When you are injured, it is important to find someone you trust to represent you. The process to achieve compensation can be complicated, and you need to be sure that your personal injury lawyer is trustworthy, tenacious, and kind. Here at Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler, we take our position very seriously. We are honored and humbled that our clients trust us with their most difficult situations and have done so for many years.

We are experts in the field of Charlotte personal injury law. Though we know that every case is different, we understand the laws and circumstances that will directly affect your injury. We are well-versed in fighting difficult personal injury cases, and we know how to build an airtight case that will get you the settlement that you deserve.

What Is Personal Injury Law?

Personal injury law is a large section of the legal system that involves an unfair or undue injury that happens to a victim because of someone else’s negligence, malice, or disregard for safety. This can come in a lot of different forms, and each case is very different. Some examples of personal injury cases include:

• Car accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Workplace injury
• Slip and fall
• Premises liability
• Defective products
• Dog bites
• Drunk driving accidents
• Wrongful death
• Traumatic brain injuries

Each of these has many subcategories that each fall under the umbrella of personal injury law. No matter what the situation, each of these categories encompasses a type of injury that occurs because someone else failed to do their job or follow the law.

The personal injury legal sector aims to earn compensation for victims either via an insurance company or via the perpetrator themselves. This compensation cannot undo the physical pain that the victim has experienced, but it can help them to pay their medical bills and rebuild financially from the incident. After all, the injury was not their fault. They should not have to pay for the damage incurred.

Why Do I Need a Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney?

When you go through a personal injury case, it is important to hire an attorney to help you with your case. These situations are often complicated, and a settlement is not a guarantee, even if the case seems straightforward. If you are facing a business or insurance company, you can be sure that they will have an experienced attorney to represent them. If you try to navigate the system alone, you will be single-handedly facing an experienced lawyer. This means that your chances of winning your case are extremely low.

The most important factor, however, is your health and wellbeing. After an accident, your first priority is always healing. Your body and mind have been through incredible trauma, and you need to focus on feeling better. If you try to push yourself too far during the beginning of the healing process, you will slow or even stop any progress. The stress of handling a court case is not conducive to a healthy, healing body.

When you trust a Charlotte personal injury attorney, you give yourself the time and space you need to heal. You also give yourself the best chance of receiving a settlement, which can make a world of difference to your financial situation. Remember, there is a lot at stake when you seek a personal injury settlement. It’s best to trust professional legal help rather than attempt to fight the case alone.

Types of Personal Injury Cases

As mentioned, there are a lot of different types of personal injury cases. Though it would be impossible to outline each one, it is important to understand a bit about each category. This allows you to pinpoint when you may have a case and determine what type of case you may have.

Car Accidents

Car, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, and drunk driving accidents make up a large part of personal injury law. These incidents occur every day, so there is a high probability that an individual will be hurt in the process. You may have a personal injury case after a car accident if the accident was not your fault, yet you were hurt anyway. For example, if a car hits you while driving and you get whiplash, the driver of the other car can be held responsible.

Negligence in these cases is considered any situation in which a driver was acting illegally or recklessly while driving. Some common examples include:

• Texting or using the phone while driving
• Driving while fatigued or distracted
• Disobeying traffic laws
• Disregarding traffic signs
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Each of these actions is illegal. By failing to comply with the law, the driver is considered negligent and can be charged if they harm someone.

Medical Malpractice Injuries

Medical malpractice cases are more common than many people think. Unfortunately, medical professionals fail to do their job all of the time, resulting in additional pain and suffering for their patients. In some cases, they maliciously inflict pain on their patients to gain insurance money or higher payments.

Some common examples of medical malpractice include:

• Performing unnecessary surgery
• Birth injuries
• Operating on the wrong part of the body or leaving instruments inside the body
• Failing to diagnose a condition despite clear signs and evidence
• Neglecting patient hygiene

These cases can be more difficult to prove in some scenarios, while others are more obvious. In any case, it is important to remember that medical professionals have a legal and ethical obligation to heal and protect their patients. When they fail to do this, they deserve to face the consequences.

Workers’ Compensation Injuries and Wrongful Death

Workplaces have the obligation to keep their workers safe. Though this looks different in every industry, there are some standards that everyone needs to meet. A workplace must do things such as:

• Allow workers to take proper breaks
• Provide workers with proper safety training and equipment
• Prevent non-licensed workers from operating machinery
• Monitor and stop all rough-housing, inappropriate behavior, or unsafe tactics before they hurt someone
• Monitor employees for at-work alcohol and drug use

When a company fails to do these things, accidents often occur. When one of these accidents harms a worker, they should not be held financially responsible for what happened to them. In these scenarios, workers’ compensation should cover medical bills. If the employee dies because of the behavior, the workplace should be held responsible for funeral and burial costs, as well as lost income.

In many cases, you need to submit a workers’ compensation claim in writing to receive care and reimbursement. Within 30 days of your injury, it is important to file a Form 18 with the North Carolina Industrial Commission so that your efforts are official and leave a trace. This makes it easier for an attorney to step in and help if your employer still refuses to pay.

Your attorney should also be present for any formal statements you give to insurance companies or to your place of work. This is because insurance companies are often predatory and look to get you back to work as soon as possible. Your attorney can help you create statements that evade unscrupulous insurance company tactics and get you the care and compensation that you deserve. When you submit these statements in writing, be sure that your attorney has a look at them first.

Dog Bite Injuries

Dog owners have the responsibility to keep their canines from hurting others. There are many laws and regulations that they must follow to keep others safe, such as keeping the dog on a leash in public spaces and containing the dog when guests or workers come to the home. If they fail to do this and the dog bites someone, they are liable for the damage.

It’s important to note that most dogs will not be euthanized for a first offense. It is possible to receive fair compensation for your injuries without harming the dog.

Premises Liability

Public spaces such as theaters, stores, and shops all have the legal responsibility to keep their spaces safe for patrons. Some things they must do include:

• Keep the floors dry
• Keep pathways free of obstruction or tripping hazards
• Maintain the building so it is up to code
• Check their products and facilities so that they can be reasonably sure that an accident will not occur
• Monitor employees for at-work alcohol and drug use

If they are unable to perform these tasks, they must alert individuals who come to their business. For example, if it is raining and an entryway gets wet, the establishment must alert guests with signs that the floor is dangerous. If they don’t do this, they are putting others at risk and neglecting their obligations. This negligence makes them responsible for any accidents that occur.

Proving Negligence in Personal Injury Claims

Of course, the victim’s attorney must be able to prove that the offending party was acting negligently if they wish to win their case. To do this, your attorney will gather evidence from the accident. Video surveillance tapes, eyewitness statements, medical records, and photos can all help your attorney to build a negligence case. If you are safely able to do so, take photos of the surrounding areas and your injuries following an accident. This will help your attorney to build a clear picture of what occurred and help convict the perpetrator of negligence.

Potential Injuries and Other Damages in a Personal Injury Case

There are many ways you can be hurt by a personal injury case. Of course, your situation will depend on the unique circumstances surrounding your accident. However, there are some common injuries that occur in personal injury cases. These include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Broken bones
• Pulled muscles or severed tendons
• Road rash
• Bruises, cuts, and scrapes
• Scarring
• Death

All of these can be extremely serious, and many of them are expensive to treat. This is why personal injury law is so important. The amount of money required for medical care to treat these conditions is astronomical.

What to Expect From Your Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney

When you hire a Charlotte personal injury attorney, it is important to know what they can and should do for you. Their job is to collect all evidence and build a case to present to the court. They will ask you questions about what happened and collect any information you can give them about the event.

On a more abstract note, you can expect certain attributes in a personal injury attorney. They should be:

• Kind
• Experienced
• Compassionate
• Good at listening
• Diligent
• Patient

You will need to speak with your attorney openly and honestly about what happened. In some scenarios, this can be painful or traumatic, especially if the accident was serious or emotional. You need to be comfortable speaking with your attorney about sensitive matters, and trust that they will listen and support you. If you do not feel this way, keep looking for different legal representation.

Your attorney should also have a good track record in cases such as yours. For example, if you get bitten by a dog, you need to find an attorney in your area who has won dog bite cases specifically. The laws surrounding each type of personal injury are different and having experience in one does not necessarily translate to experience in another.

Contact Ayers, Whitlow & Dressler

Our Charlotte personal injury attorneys are ready and willing to take your case. We have been practicing personal injury law for years and have experience in a variety of accidents and injuries. Our personal injury lawyers are passionate about this area of law because we are empathetic toward people who are injured, and we want to help. We know how difficult it can be to recover after an accident, so we help to make sure that your finances are the least of your problems.

For more information, or to schedule a personal injury case consultation, please contact us online via our website.