Personal Injury Lawyer Wilmington, NC
Accidents generally do not happen on their own without negligence or reckless behavior causing them. Sorting out the cause of an injury and proving that someone was at fault is what a Wilmington personal injury lawyer at The Clauson Law Firm does when you or a member of your family has been injured.
Whether caused by a car accident or the negligence of a property owner, it takes only a matter of seconds for your life to be turned upside down by a serious injury. You suddenly find yourself dealing with hospitals, doctors, and physical therapists while worrying about how to pay their bills.
When you need trusted legal advice to explain the rights you have against the party responsible for your injuries, talk to a Wilmington injury lawyer at Clauson Law. We offer years of knowledge and experience using North Carolina personal injury laws to obtain compensation for clients injured through the negligence of other parties. We make it possible for you to focus on working with your doctors and getting the rest you need to recover from your injuries while we aggressively pursue a claim for damages on your behalf.
Every injured person and personal injury cases we handle are different, so we never employ a cookie-cutter approach. You and your claim receive personal attention from a personal injury lawyer committed to getting you the maximum compensation you deserve.
Personal injury cases we handle
A variety of circumstances and combinations of circumstances, including the fault of another party, may give you the right to make a claim and file a personal injury lawsuit for damages. Some of the common causes of personal injury claims handled by our personal injury lawyer Wilmington include the following:
- Car accidents: You see so many car accidents while driving in North Carolina without realizing how life-changing it can be until you suffer injuries when involved in one. Car accidents require an experienced personal injury lawyer capable of analyzing them to identify the cause and the parties responsible. More than one party may be at fault and responsible for paying damages.
- Truck accidents: The sheer size of a large truck that crashes into a car or other vehicle frequently causes catastrophic injuries and fatalities. Although driver error is a common cause of truck accidents, other factors and parties also may be responsible. Trucking companies that fail to properly maintain their vehicles, shipping companies that improperly load or secure cargo causing it to shift or fall off a vehicle, and other parties and factors need to be looked at as potentially liable when truck accidents occur.
- Bus accidents: Whether you suffer injuries as a passenger on a bus or as the occupant of a vehicle hit by one, the personal injury lawyer in Wilmington NC you choose to represent you may be required to sort through complex legal issues. When the operator of a bus is a municipal agency, a notice of claim must be filed with the agency before an injured person may start a lawsuit, but a skilled personal injury lawyer knows what to do to protect your rights.
- Motorcycle accidents: The lack of a protective steel frame and safety features found in other types of vehicles increases the risk of serious injury for motorcyclists. Some people, including claims adjusters working for insurance companies, judges, and jurors, think of all motorcycle riders as reckless and needlessly taking a risk of injury. Our personal injury lawyers recognize that the only way to overcome such bias is with evidence that clearly and unequivocally proves fault on the part of another party.
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents: Crossing the street and sharing the road with motor vehicles can be dangerous for pedestrians and bicycle riders when drivers fail to yield or become distracted. Serious injuries and fatalities are common when pedestrians or bicycle riders become the victims of collisions with motor vehicles.
- Ride-hailing accidents: The popularity of ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, has increased the number of accidents involving their vehicles. As a passenger in one of these vehicles, you need a lawyer capable of analyzing the facts and circumstances to determine who was at fault and build a strong case for damages against them on your behalf.
- Premises liability: Accidents and injuries caused by hazardous or dangerous conditions created by or allowed to remain by property owners or property managers are classified as premises liability accidents. Slipping and falling on something spilled and left on the floor of the supermarket is only one example of a premises liability accident.
- Dog bites: The owner of a dangerous dog may be held strictly liable for injuries inflicted on a person who is attacked. It takes a personal injury lawyer with an understanding of the North Carolina dog bite law to know what needs to be proven to recover damages from the owner of the dog that bites you.
- Workplace accidents: If you have been injured in a work-related accident, the usual course of action is to file a claim for workers’ compensation. However, an injury caused by the negligence of someone other than a co-worker or your employer may give you the right to sue the negligent party for damages.
- Defective products: The mower you use to cut your lawn or the toaster in your kitchen makes life easier, but a defect can turn a useful product into a dangerous one that causes injuries or death. Claims for injuries caused by defective products can be complicated and require the skills of a personal injury lawyer capable of identifying the evidence needed to prove fault by the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of the product.
- Wrongful death: North Carolina recognizes the damages suffered by the family of someone killed through negligence, medical malpractice, or intentional conduct of another party. Unlike other states that permit surviving members of the family to file a lawsuit for damages, North Carolina gives that right to the representative of the estate of the deceased. A Clauson law personal injury lawyer applies an understanding of the state wrongful death law with compassion for the family to aggressively take on the fight for justice and fair compensation on behalf of the deceased while allowing family members to grieve their loss.
Regardless of the type of personal injury case, our personal injury lawyer Wilmington NC is committed to achieving the best outcome for you. We know you have many options when it comes to choosing a lawyer to handle your personal injury case, so we work hard to prove to you that your decision to choose Clauson Law was the right one.
The compensation you may be entitled to recover from the at-fault party
A successful outcome in a personal injury case is a settlement or judgment after trial compensating you for losses caused by the negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct of another party. Some of the types of damages you may recover as compensation for being injured include the following:
- Medical expenses.
- Lost income.
- Physical and occupational therapy expenses.
- Cost of anticipated future medical treatment and surgery.
- Reduction or loss of future earning capacity.
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering.
- Loss of companionship, support, and care of a loved one.
- Cost of long-term care.
- Cost to repair or replace damaged property.
Depending on the circumstances of the accident and the conduct of the person responsible for it, you may be awarded punitive damages. Punitive damages serve to send a message to prevent the type of shocking and extreme conduct that caused you to be injured.
We take into account all of the available evidence to develop and implement a strategy designed to secure for you the maximum compensation the law allows. Working closely with you and your doctors gives us insight and information about how your life has been affected by the accident and resulting injuries to use during settlement negotiations and, if necessary, at a trial.
Types of injuries handled by the Clauson Law Firm
Personal injuries range from minor lacerations to severe burns and traumatic brain injuries. Your lawyer must be capable of understanding the nature of your injuries and have experience gathering and presenting evidence to prove them in court.
Your Wilmington injury lawyer from Clauson Law has experience with all types of injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injury.
- Head and neck trauma.
- Spinal cord injuries.
- Back injuries.
- Lacerations and scarring.
- Wrongful death.
- Fractures.
- Burns.
- Amputations.
Regardless of the type of injury, our personal injury lawyer works with your doctors and other medical providers to obtain medical records and reports to document the cause, extent, and long-term effects of the injuries that you suffered as a result of another party’s negligence.
How does a personal injury law firm make a difference?
You may be wondering: “Why hire a personal injury lawyer near me when I can call the other party’s insurance company on my own?” Before we answer your question, let’s take a look at how we make a difference for the accident victims who entrust their personal injury claims to us:
- Honest answers to your questions: When accident victims and their families meet with a Clauson Law Firm personal injury lawyer, the first thing they notice is how the focus is on making them feel comfortable. We want to understand how the accident has affected your life. We need to hear your story and give you the time needed to ask and get honest answers to all of your questions.
- Thoroughly investigate: Building a strong case supported by evidence is the key to obtaining justice and a fair settlement or judgment against the party whose behavior caused you to be injured. An investigation lets us gather evidence to use in negotiations or at trial to prove the cause of the accident and the parties at fault.
- Handle all communications with insurance companies: We give you time to concentrate on the medical care and the rest needed for your injuries to heal by handling all communications with the other parties and their insurance companies. This includes negotiating with insurance adjusters to get you the money you deserve through a settlement, but insurance companies know that we will go to trial rather than settle a claim for less than what the law and the evidence entitle you to receive.
- Skillful and experienced litigation: Statistically, most personal injury cases end in a negotiated settlement. This generally happens because the parties agree on the value of the case based on the evidence of how the injuries occurred and the medical records proving their severity. We never advise a personal injury client to accept a settlement that is not in their best interest merely to avoid going to trial. We aggressively litigate claims where doing so will achieve a better result than could be achieved through negotiations.
The education, training, experience, and legal knowledge of our Wilmington injury lawyer give you a dedicated advocate committed to your wellbeing. We evaluate your case and give you an honest assessment of its value as opposed to a claims adjuster working on behalf of the company that insured the party who caused you to be injured whose only interest is to give you as little money as possible.
Should you handle the claim on your own? If reading this far has convinced you that hiring The Clauson Law Firm gives you an advantage, cost should not be holding you back.
Our personal injury law firm works under a contingency fee agreement with you. What this means, is that we do not charge a fee unless you win your case through settlement or verdict after trial. When you win, our fee is deducted from the settlement or verdict and does not come out of our pocket.
Contact an outstanding personal injury lawyer in Wilmington NC
If the fault of another party caused you to be injured, a Wilmington personal injury lawyer at The Clauson Law Firm, PLLC, can hold them accountable. We are there with you throughout the process with a commitment to make the at-fault party pay the compensation that you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation and claim review.