When you or someone you love is injured, you may face extensive medical bills, lost wages due to your inability to work, and horrible pain and suffering. If your injury is due to another person’s negligence, you have a right to compensation.
Unfortunately, insurance companies aren‘t on your side. Don’t try to take on the insurance companies on your own. A Charlotte personal injury lawyer can help prove the other partyās liability, overcome North Carolinaās contributory negligence laws, and get you the compensation you deserve.
At Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers, our goal is to provide exceptional personal and caring representation while aggressively pursuing your claim. We’ve recovered over $100,000,000 in damages for people just like you. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Why Choose Auger & Auger to Manage Your Case?
At Auger & Auger, we focus exclusively on personal injury, and every case is handled with extreme detail. You aren’t just a client to us; you place your trust and confidence in us, which is a great honor.
When you partner with us, we promise to:
Treat Your Case As if It Were Our Own
We promise to treat your case the same way we would want our case to be handled. Aggressive representation and exceptional client service are what you’ll get from our Charlotte law firm.
Return Every Phone Call and Keep You Informed
We know who we work for, and our focus is and will always be client service. We promise to keep you informed on the latest updates on your case and return every phone call. We encourage our clients to reach out to us when they have questions.
Protect You from Powerful Insurance Companies
While some personal injury lawyers in Charlotte, NC, will compromise with insurance companies to settle quickly, we don’t. We work against these insurance companies to ensure you get the total compensation you deserve. We know how insurance companies work.
Review Your Case at No Charge to You
We want to hear your story during your free consultation. We look forward to educating our clients about their cases and understanding what happened so we can give you the best advice.
Work Extremely Hard to Get You the Compensation You Deserve
We are in this together, and you can trust us to get you the maximum compensation you deserve. We work on a contingency basis, which means if we don’t win, you don’t pay.
Charlotte Personal Injury Practice Areas
We represent clients in North Carolina who have suffered an injury in many different circumstances. Reach out to us if you need a:
- Charlotte Car Accident Lawyer: Car accidents can cause serious injuries, leading to costly medical bills and lost wages. In the worst-case scenario, they can result in fatal injuries.
- Charlotte Bicycle Accident Lawyer: Cyclists are vulnerable and can experience tremendous injuries when struck by careless drivers.
- Charlotte Boating Accident Lawyer: Boating regulations ensure safety and enjoyment on the water, but reckless boaters can ruin lives.
- Charlotte Motorcycle Accident Lawyer: Due to their lack of protection, motorcycle accident victims can experience extensive injuries in collisions with cars and trucks.
- Charlotte Pedestrian Accident Lawyer: Pedestrians hit by reckless drivers are entitled to compensation for their injuries.
- Charlotte Truck Accident Lawyer: Big trucks are important for our economy, but a reckless truck driver can cause tremendous damage.
- Charlotte Workers’ Compensation and Third Party Claim Lawyer: Employees have the right to expect safe workplaces. When business owners are negligent, workers are entitled to compensation for their injuries.
- Charlotte Wrongful Death Lawyer: Accidents resulting in death are often punishable in criminal courts, but you may also be entitled to compensation via a wrongful death claim.
- Charlotte Dog Bite Lawyer: Pet owners are responsible for keeping their animals under control. When pets injure people, the owners may be liable for the dog bite injuries.
Tell us about any other personal injury cases as well. We’re here to help!
The Contributory Negligence Rule
Under North Carolina‘s contributory negligence system, one party can only collect compensation from another if that second party is 100% at fault. If both parties are partially to blame, no one can collect anything, and everyone has to pay their own bills.
This can be unfair. For example, if an accident was only 5% your fault and 95% the other party’s fault, the other party would not be legally obligated to split anything with you, even though they were primarily responsible for the accident.
Situations like this are why we caution injured parties never to admit fault in an accident. For one thing, many North Carolina accident victims think they contributed to fault when they didn’t. Even if you made a mistake, it might not have had anything to do with the accident.
Insurance Companies and Contributory Negligence
The adjuster for the other party’s insurance company might look for any excuse to blame you for the accident so they don’t have to pay a personal injury claim. Remember, they only have to convince a jury that you were 1% at fault to get off the hook.
Don’t help them deprive you of the money you deserve. If you have questions about the other party’s liability in your accident, discuss them with your attorney, not the insurance company.
Client Reviews
By: Sephora Bloomfield
I was very Satisfied with their service. They made sure I was satisfied with my case. I would definitely use them again. They also keep you in the know about every detail of your case.
How a Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Will Handle Your Case
When you meet with your attorney for a free consultation, we will ask about the details of your injury and how it happened. We may also ask questions to help determine who the liable party or parties are.
Sometimes, clients think they know who is responsible for their injuries, and they’re often right. However, in some situations, it is helpful to know if other third parties may have contributed to the injury.
In other situations, we may send one of our investigators to look for further evidence. They may do things like canvassing the area of your accident and looking for witnesses the police didn’t have a chance to talk to.
Assessing Your Case
After learning more about the situation, your lawyer will have a better idea of whether you have a strong personal injury claim or not. This judgment is not based on you but on the facts of the case and the evidence available to back it up.
Your attorney may believe you, but they have to think about what they could convince an insurance company representative of or prove in court. It’s unfortunate, but there simply isn’t enough evidence to support a client’s claim in some cases.
We don’t take these cases because it isn’t in the client’s best interest to spend a lot of time pursuing a claim without sufficient evidence. However, if we see alternative ways of recovering at least some of your losses, such as through your insurance coverage, we will suggest them.
Determining Damages
Once your attorney has a good idea about liability, they will discuss your damages. Damages are the losses you suffered as a result of your injury.
These can be economic, such as medical bills, repair bills, and the income you lost while unable to work due to your injuries.
Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, emotional trauma after an accident, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Your Charlotte personal injury attorney will review all these losses to ensure nothing is missed. Often, people think they know what their damages are, but there may be things they haven’t considered, like future medical bills or other accommodations needed to help with a severe injury.
The Importance of Documentation
It is helpful to document anything you can concerning your injuries, how they happened, and who was responsible. That can vary depending on the kind of injury you had and how long ago it was.
If your car has not been repaired yet, you can take pictures of the damage. You can gather copies of your medical bills from your injuries and make a list of anyone you know who was present at the accident or might provide eyewitness testimony.
Your Charlotte personal injury attorney will likely ask you about these things and let you know if there is other documentation we need.
Negotiating With Insurance Companies
The insurance company for the at-fault party may offer a settlement. It is usually not wise to accept it before speaking with an attorney. Insurance companies will try to get out of a bad situation for as little as possible.
They know what your claim is worth, but they will offer much less. By taking an easy settlement, you may waive your rights to future compensation if you discover your expenses are overwhelming.
Instead, let us deal with the insurance company for you. We won’t let them tell us what they think you are worth. We’ll fight for the fair compensation you truly deserve so you can begin to put your life back together.
Representing You in Court
We’d prefer to settle things at the negotiating table. If we can reach a fair agreement, it is usually best for everyone involved. However, we aren’t going to back away from a fight. If the insurance company won’t budge, we can represent you in a personal injury lawsuit.
Our legal team has extensive experience representing our clients throughout the legal process. Because of our A&A Charlotte Zero Fee Guaranteeā¢, if we don’t win, you don’t pay.
How do I Know if Someone Else’s Negligence Led to My Injuries?
In general, if another party acted in a way that the average, reasonable person would consider dangerous or reckless, and those actions led to your injury, you can make a case for negligence.
If you’re not sure, it’s best to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Charlotte, NC, to evaluate your case and make recommendations. Here are examples of types of accidents where one party’s negligence may lead to another person’s injury:
Auto Accident
Bob thinks he can run a red light because no one is coming, but he collides with a motorcycle, and the motorcyclist suffers several injuries.
Bob may have been a negligent driver because he didn’t stop at the red light, even though he didn’t believe anyone was coming.
Daycare Accident
A daycare center is short-staffed and doesn’t have the number of teachers required by law for the number of students in each age group. One of the teachers, Bill, ends up alone on the playground with more students than he can reasonably supervise.
A child throws a tantrum, and Bill attempts to calm him down. While he is occupied with the upset child, another toddler tries to climb the jungle gym, falls, and is hurt. The daycare may have been negligent for not having sufficient help.
Boating Accident
Dan and Amy own a boat and invite some friends to spend the Fourth of July weekend on the water with them. Several of their friends are also experienced boaters, and they all take turns driving the boat.
Late in the day, their friend Greg is behind the wheel when he runs into a water skier, injuring her. It turns out that Greg had been drinking beer throughout the day and was over the legal limit when the accident happened.
Greg could be charged with a misdemeanor, but as the boat’s owners, Dan and Amy may have undertaken negligent actions by not keeping better track of who was driving the boat.
How Long do Personal Injury Cases Take?
It’s impossible to say without knowing the specifics of your case. Even then, your attorney will have a better idea after collecting all your medical records and other documents and then making an effort to negotiate with the at-fault party’s insurer.
In a few straightforward cases where there is extensive evidence that the other party was at fault, we can achieve a fair settlement within several months. Most cases take longer than that, and some may take 1-2 years or more to resolve, depending on complexity and other factors.
Speak with an experienced attorney at Auger & Auger to better understand the outlook for your case.
Do You Have to Testify in a Personal Injury Case?
It’s possible but unlikely. Most of these cases are settled out of court, and we always try to work things out with the insurance company or other liable parties.
We know that you‘ve had enough difficulties with your injuries. We don’t want to put you through a stressful and time-consuming trial if there are other ways to secure the fair compensation you need.
However, there are some situations where the other party won’t agree to an appropriate amount of compensation. Here are a few ways this might happen:
- The defendant and their attorney believe they will win at trial and have no reason to pay you anything.
- If your case is unusual or they have not settled another like it before, the insurance company may be afraid of āsetting a precedentā by paying your claim or by paying what they think is ātoo much.ā
- If you have a high amount of damages, you may be asking for a fair amount of money for your injuries, but the insurance company may decide they can’t pay that much without a fight in court.
- Liability may not be very clear, and the other party may insist on going to court to contest their liability.
Going to Trial in a Personal Injury Case
If you do go to trial, taking the stand may be very helpful to your case. In some circumstances, you may be the only witness who can explain what happened.
Telling your story to the jury yourself may also help them to see you as a real person who was injured by the defendant’s negligence.
Your personal injury attorney in Charlotte, NC, will make sure you have time to prepare, and they will go over what questions the defendant’s attorney is likely to ask you.
Can I Just File a Claim With the Insurance Company Myself?
Yes, but people who file their own claims tend to have smaller recoveries than those represented by attorneys. As for affording an experienced attorney, there’s no need to worry.
Our North Carolina personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basisāyou don’t have to pay us anything upfront.
Once your case is settled, we’ll take our agreed-upon fee from your settlement. At Auger & Auger, we have the A&A Charlotte Zero Fee Guaranteeā¢, where you don’t have to pay anything if we don’t win your case.
Your initial consultation is also completely free, so there is no risk in contacting us to learn your legal options after an injury.
What if My Bills Are More Than Insurance Policy Limits?
Most insurance policies have limits. For example, in North Carolina, the minimum requirement for car insurance is $30,000 in bodily injury liability and $25,000 in property damage.
The person who hit you may have more insurance, but if not, you may only be able to collect $30,000 for your medical costs and $25,000 for damage to your car from their policy.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stuck paying the rest of your bills yourself. When we recognize that a client’s damages will significantly exceed the other party’s insurance coverage, we will look at all other available options for recovery. These may include:
Making a Claim on Your Insurance Policy
It doesn’t matter if the accident wasn’t your fault. North Carolina also requires uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in the same minimum amounts, and this will kick in where the other driver’s insurance policy limit has cut you off.
As long as you have car insurance, you should have at least that much additional coverage after the at-fault driver’s insurance pays to the policy limit.
Suing the Responsible Party Directly
Whether or not this is a good option depends on the other party’s financial situation. If they can’t afford to pay a judgment against them, it isn’t worth your time and stress to pursue one.
Suing Other Liable Parties or Making a Claim With Their Insurance
Sometimes, more than one party could be liable for your injuries. For example, if you were hit by a drunk driver while driving a delivery van for your employer, you may be able to file a worker’s comp claim.
Or, if you were not working at the time, but a faulty seatbelt caused you to be thrown out of the car and suffer more severe injuries, you might have a claim against the car manufacturer or seatbelt manufacturer.
Contact a Charlotte, NC, Personal Injury Attorney Today
We know choosing a personal injury attorney in Charlotte, NC, can be tough when you are going through difficult times. A catastrophic injury or major accident can cause stress for your entire family. The costs of medical care can be overwhelming, and you may be in physical pain.
You need a personal injury lawyer with legal experience to make sure the negligent party compensates you for your physical injuries and offers a fair settlement.
Contact the Charlotte personal injury attorneys at Auger & Auger for a free legal consultation to learn more about how we can help you. We have over 80 years of combined experience fighting for people just like you.
