If you were injured in a car accident, you are likely facing medical bills, vehicle damage, lost wages, and emotional trauma. A Mountain Home personal injury lawyer can help you seek compensation for these damages.
After a car crash, you need experienced legal representation to protect your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve. A Mountain Home car accident lawyer can handle your claim so you can focus on healing.
Common Causes of Car Accidents in Mountain Home, NC
Mountain Home’s location in the Blue Ridge Mountains creates distinct driving hazards that contribute to accidents throughout the area. Common causes of local car accidents include:
- Mountain terrain and winding roads: Steep curves and descents require extra caution that many drivers fail to exercise.
- Weather conditions: Fog often blankets mountain passes with little warning, ice forms on shaded curves during winter, and heavy rain creates hydroplaning risks.
- Distracted driving: Drivers who are texting, eating, or adjusting GPS systems fail to notice stopped traffic or changing road conditions.
- Speeding on rural highways: Drivers attempting to “make up time” on routes like US Route 25 often lose control on curves or can’t stop in time for hazards.
- Impaired driving: Motorists who underestimate their level of intoxication or the effects of prescription medications continue to cause preventable crashes.
A car accident lawyer in Mountain Home can investigate your accident to find out what caused it.
Why You Need a Car Accident Lawyer in Mountain Home
North Carolina’s contributory negligence rule can bar your entire claim if you are found even 1% at fault. An experienced Mountain Home car accident lawyer can help by:
- Gathering evidence: Your lawyer can obtain police reports, interview witnesses, and work with accident reconstruction experts to prove liability.
- Defeating fault defenses: Your attorney can build a case that clearly establishes the other driver’s fault while defending against any claims of shared responsibility.
- Managing insurance negotiations: Your lawyer can prevent adjusters from using your statements against you or pressuring you into accepting an inadequate settlement.
- Taking your case to trial: If settlement negotiations fall through, your attorney can fight for you in court.
Types of Compensation Available
When another driver’s negligence causes your injuries, North Carolina law entitles you to seek compensation for:
- Medical expenses: You can recover all treatment costs, including emergency care, surgeries, hospital stays, medications, physical therapy, and future medical needs.
- Lost wages: You are entitled to income you couldn’t earn while recovering, plus reduced earning capacity if injuries prevent returning to your previous work.
- Property damage: You can claim damages for vehicle repairs or replacement, rental car costs during repairs, towing expenses, and damaged personal belongings.
- Pain and suffering: You may recover compensation for physical discomfort, activity limitations, and reduced quality of life beyond measurable financial losses.
- Emotional distress: You can seek damages for anxiety, depression, or PTSD resulting from the traumatic accident experience.
A car accident attorney in Mountain Home can calculate your damages and help make sure they’re all included in your claim.
What to Do After a Car Accident in Mountain Home
The actions you take immediately after a car accident can significantly impact your ability to recover compensation. Follow these steps:
- Call 911: Report the accident and, if necessary, request medical assistance for anyone who’s injured.
- Document the scene: Take photographs of vehicle damage, road conditions, traffic signs, and skid marks.
- Exchange information: Get contact information from other drivers and witnesses.
- Seek medical attention: Even if you feel fine, some serious injuries don’t produce obvious symptoms right away. Get evaluated to document your condition.
- Call your insurer: Give your insurance company the facts about the crash, but avoid giving detailed statements without consulting a lawyer.
- Contact a lawyer: Reach out to our car accident attorneys to discuss your situation and go over next steps.
What Is North Carolina’s Contributory Negligence Law?
North Carolina enforces a pure contributory negligence rule. Under this law, if you are found to be even 1% responsible for causing an accident, you will be barred from recovering compensation.
Insurance companies exploit this rule by looking for any evidence of shared fault. For example, if another driver runs a stop sign, but you were five miles over the speed limit, insurers could deny your entire claim.
This strict standard makes experienced legal representation all the more essential.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle
Our experienced car accident lawyers handle a wide range of cases, including:
- Rear-end collisions
- Head-on collisions
- Intersection accidents
- Multi-vehicle pileups
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist claims
- Commercial vehicle accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
Get Help from a Car Accident Lawyer in Mountain Home
A car accident can leave you with serious injuries, financial stress, and uncertainty about what to do next. And due to North Carolina’s contributory negligence rule, insurance companies may try to shift blame onto you to avoid paying your claim.
Fortunately, you don’t have to fight this battle alone. A Mountain Home car accident attorney from Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC, can take on your case, protect your rights, and fight for a fair settlement on your behalf.
Book a free case review to start the legal process today.