After being injured in a car accident, most North Carolinians just want a full recovery and get back to work. Unfortunately, some car accidents cause injuries which last for months, years, or even a lifetime and result in thousands of dollars of medical expenses and lost wages. If you have sustained serious temporary or permanent injuries as a result of a Raleigh car accident, a knowledgeable attorney can assist with protecting your interests against the insurance company.
Maginnis Howard Law offers free consultations to all prospective personal injury clients. Most consultations range from one hour to two hours, depending upon the complexity of your case. Our initial consultation typically consists at looking at four separate aspects of your case.
Negligence and Contributory Negligence (Liability)
Our firm always first inquires into how the car accident occurred to determine the identity of the negligent, liable parties. Sometimes, this may be as simple as reviewing the North Carolina crash report and the reporting officer’s notes. In other cases, especially contested liability situations, we have to go through a detailed review of the client’s recollection of the collision as well as take down information about witnesses who need to be contacted and interviewed. This initial stage also requires looking at whether there will be any valid argument that the client was contributorily negligent.
Damages
After identifying the negligent party or parties, your attorney will help you assess damages. This requires first looking at purely financial losses, such as medical treatment and expenses and lost wages and, then, discussing how the collision has more generally affected the client’s life. This means examining the extent, duration, and intensity of pain, and any disabilities resulting from the collision. Because folks have typically not recovered at the time of the first meeting, the damages discussion is always an ongoing one.
Coverage
Even after establishing liability, you may find it difficult to obtain the damages you deserve. Our law firm always fully explores insurance coverage when we meet with a prospective client. This means looking at the extent of (1) liability coverage; (2) medical payments coverage; and (3) underinsured motorist coverage. In many cases, there might be multiple policies providing liability coverage and/or underinsured motorist coverage. Knowing the full extent of your coverage options is critical to making a full recovery in cases involving serious and permanent injuries.
Like most personal injury litigation firms, Maginnis Law offers contingency fee arrangements. This means that you pay no attorneys’ fees unless and until you make a financial recovery. To set up a free consultation with a Raleigh car accident lawyer, call Maginnis Law at (919) 526-0450. You may also use our contact page to send inquiries directly to the firm. Maginnis Law represents injured North Carolinians throughout the state, but practices out of our Six Forks office in Raleigh.
