The thought of paying your medical bills after being injured in an accident can be daunting, but at Pierce Law Offices, we are here to help you through the process. As your Durham Personal Injury Lawyer, we are committed to seeing that you receive the medical treatment you are due while we worry about how to handle the medical payments. Many individuals worry that they cannot receive medical treatment if they cannot afford to pay for the corresponding bills. If you have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, you should still address and treat any injuries sustained from the accident in a timely manner, as these treatments play a pivotal role in strengthening your personal injury claim. If you do not have health insurance, the hospital or health care provider will most likely bill you directly. If you cannot afford these medical bills, seeking the aid of your Durham Personal Injury Lawyer is crucial. Attorney J. Wallace Pierce will work for you to settle your personal injury case, after which the insurance company of the at-fault driver may pay these bills.

In addition, your doctor may recommend seeking specialist attention to address your crash-related injuries. Types of specialists commonly involved in treating post-accident injuries can include physical therapists and chiropractors. If you are referred to a specialist but cannot pay the medical bill incurred from specialist treatment, your Durham Personal Injury Lawyer will help you locate a specialist who will work with you on a “third-party payment” basis. This type of payment means that they will treat you for your crash-related injuries, but the bills will be sent to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. This type of arrangement can be especially difficult to arrange, so seeking the counsel of your Durham Personal Injury Lawyer is especially important.

In any personal injury case, dealing with insurance issues and medical payments can be a huge burden, made even worse by the pain and suffering you may be experiencing from your injuries. That’s where your Durham Personal Injury Lawyer J. Wallace Pierce at Pierce Law Offices comes into play. Attorney Pierce will take on the responsibility of addressing medical bills for you, so you can worry less about how to make payments and focus more on recovering from your crash-related injuries.

The moments after a car accident can be a whirlwind of stress, anxiety, and fear. Oftentimes, individuals are unsure of what to do, who to call and where to turn. Ease those unpleasant feelings by understanding what comes next, even before an accident occurs. Here at Pierce Law offices, we know that the steps you take immediately after an accident have a lasting impact. We want you to have the knowledge and tools necessary to be prepared for what lies ahead. Follow these guidelines to protect yourself:

1. Move your vehicle out of the flow of traffic. In North Carolina, the law mandates that, unless disabled, a vehicle may not be left on a main roadway.
2. Contact law enforcement. North Carolina requires that the police are contacted immediately after a collision if any of the following occur:
1. Injury to any individual(s)
1. Death to any individual(s)
1. Total property damage of at or above $500 – Noncompliance with this law may result in a misdemeanor charge.
3. Call an ambulance for yourself or any individual that may be injured.
4. Exchange information with other parties involved in the crash. Record names, contact information, license plate numbers, driver license numbers, and insurance information. Refrain from discussing what events led to the accident. Your Durham Personal Injury Lawyer will assist you in this aspect of the crash.
5. While the crash is still fresh in your mind, document as many details as possible. Take photographs, sketch the scene, and record any statements from witnesses and the other party. Write down factors pertinent to the accident (i.e. speed of vehicles, passengers involved, weather conditions, road conditions, etc.) – anything that will help recreate the scene again in the future.
6. Report the accident to your own insurance company, as well as the insurance companies of any other parties involved. During your report, you will be asked several questions about the accident and receive a claim number and adjuster contact information. Be weary of speaking with adjusters from other insurance companies! Avoid giving statements or signing any documents until you speak to your Durham Personal Injury Attorney.

Contact Durham Personal Injury Attorney J. Wallace Pierce of Pierce Law Offices. Attorney Pierce will work to ensure that you receive what you may be entitled to. Call Pierce Law Offices at (919) 313-2729 to receive your free consultation and discover what we can do to help.

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After being involved in a car accident, any type of specific, factual information and details related to the accident are crucial to your personal injury case. In particular, police reports can be an extremely significant form of such factual information you may want to use in your case. In these reports, the officer dispatched to the scene of the accident will complete an initial evaluation. In North Carolina, a “DMV-349” form is the crash report completed by the officer. This form will be obtained by your attorney when investigating your case, and can include the following information pertaining to the accident:

• The road surface conditions
• The weather conditions
• The lighting conditions
• The contributing circumstances of non-motorists
• The type of collision
• The contributing circumstances of the roadway (i.e. road work, debris, etc.)
• The contributing circumstances of the parties involved (i.e. disregard of traffic signs, drug or alcohol use, etc.)
• Seating position within the vehicle of the parties involved
• Details of air bag deployment
• Any injuries sustained to parties involved
• General information about parties involved (date of birth, contact information, insurance information, etc.)

Any and all of this information may be relevant and applicable to your case, as a police officer’s evaluations are typically regarded as highly trustworthy and accurate. In order to most effectively make use of police reports in your lawsuit, seek the aid of your Durham Personal Injury Attorney. Attorney J. Wallace Pierce of Pierce Law Offices will work for you by obtaining your police report and reviewing its contents in relation to your case. Most importantly, Attorney Pierce will closely review the contributing circumstances of the parties involved in order to see that you receive the most help and aid possible after the accident. These contributing circumstances could contain valuable information that may help your case when determining what factors led to the accident that may have been out of your control or may have led to harm to either yourself or your property by another driver.

Accidents can be a source of stress and anxiety for the individuals involved. At Pierce Law Offices, we will take on the responsibility of obtaining and reviewing your police report for you to give you one less thing to worry about. In the trustworthy hands of Attorney J. Wallace Pierce, your police report will be expertly evaluated with your best possible interests in mind.

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One of the first questions you may find yourself asking after being involved in a personal injury case is: how much is my claim actually worth? Whether you have been involved in an automobile accident, slip-and-fall incident, work-related injury, animal bite injury, or any other incident resulting in injury, the answer to your question will rely on various facets of your case. The actual monetary amount you may be rewarded is called “damages”. These damages are essentially determined one of two ways: 1) a settlement outside of court or 2) by a jury of peers in a court of law.

To understand exactly how your damages are computed, you will want to have a basic understanding of the different types of damages. The two types of damages you may be awarded are: 1) Compensatory and 2) Punitive. Compensatory damages are intended to offset particular losses you may have experienced as a result of your personal injury, including:

• Medical expenses: the actual costs of any treatment or rehabilitation directly related to injuries sustained to your claim
• Property damage: any destruction or harm to your personal property resulting from the case (i.e. automobile damage)
• Lost wages: as a result of the incident and injuries, if the plaintiff is unable to work, the wages or salaries that he or she would have earned may be compensated for. This could potentially include future wages depending on how the severity of the injury affects future job performance.
• Pain & suffering: the physical afflictions the plaintiff experiences as a result of the personal injury. This area of damages can be difficult to quantify, due to the fact that the concept of “pain” is not a concept translated into a numeric amount.
• Emotional distress: any type of mental anguish related to the personal injury, which may include terror, shock, sleep deprivation, depression, etc. These aspects may be considered part of “pain and suffering” damages. In North Carolina, this distress must be considered “severe and disabling” in order to garner an award.
• Loss of consortium: the degree to which your personal injury affects your ability to participate in your relationship with your spouse or significant other.

Punitive damages are essentially damages awarded to the plaintiff due to the reckless or outrageous nature of the defendant’s actions. Drunk driving is a specific example of conduct that can be considered “reckless”. The intentions of these damages are not to compensate the plaintiff, but rather to punish the defendant.

As you can see, based on the wide range of considerations taken into your personal injury case, it is difficult to provide a concrete calculation of what your specific case is worth. In order to best determine the amount you are entitled to, speak to your Durham Personal Injury Attorney at Pierce Law Offices.

Should I Hire a Car Accident Attorney? – Durham Lawyer | Durham Personal Injury Attorney

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In the event that you have been involved in an accident, you may well be considering how a personal injury lawyer could help you. You may be concerned that the expense and trouble of having to hire a lawyer will not help your situation. It is true that not everyone is in need of a personal injury lawyer following their car accident. However, for those individuals who are injured due to someone else’s negligence, having a personal injury lawyer could be the difference between receiving fair compensation and being pushed aside.

Personal Injury Lawyer, J. Wallace Pierce, has experience helping car accident victims throughout North Carolina. Mr. Pierce, understand that not everyone can afford adequate representation for their injuries. As a result of this, Pierce Law ONLY accepts accident cases on a contingency basis. This means, that you only pay your lawyer attorney fees if your case is successful. No win, no attorney fee. The remainder of this post is dedicated to those significant factors that you should consider when deciding whether you need the assistance of a personal injury lawyer.

Were You Injured?

If you were injured as a result of your car accident, you should speak with an attorney as soon as possible. Connective tissue and bones will usually heal, but too often the healing does not return the body to its pre-accident condition.

A personal injury attorney, who fights for you, can assist you in understanding the compensation you may be due after your accident. Consider hiring an attorney who will work to ensure that you receive fair and adequate treatment by the large insurance companies.

Is the Other Driver Disputing Fault?

If the other driver is claiming that the accident was not their fault or that you helped cause the accident, you should stop right now and call a personal injury attorney. North Carolina is a contributory negligence state. If the opposing party can prove that you helped cause the accident in any way (even just 1%) you are barred from recovery. Time is of the essence. Act Now!

Is Your Settlement Suspicious?

Have you been offered a settlement by your insurance company that doesn’t seem right? Did you get it too quickly? Is it too little? Does it cover all your harms ? If you have any doubts about your insurance settlement, getting a free review by a lawyer will at least put your mind at ease.

Consider taking a moment and speaking directly with a lawyer… what do you have to lose?

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A recent North Carolina roadside report has estimated that there are approximately 300 active road construction projects, including regular maintenance projects, at any moment across North Carolina. This report was released to serve as a warning and reminder to North Carolina drivers to take special precaution when operating a vehicle through these hazardous areas. The number of car accident taking place in work zones has significantly increased and North Carolina leaders are exploring ways to combat this epidemic.

Construction zones or work zones are areas of road that are actively being worked upon or even being maintained. Generally speaking, work zones are marked with signals and warnings reminding drivers to maintain vigilance and to slow down. Drivers are required to adhere to these signals so that construction workers are not place in harms way and to ensure that the work that is needed can be performed. Too often, drivers do not adhere to these instructions and workers or the drivers are seriously injured. Durham Lawyer.

In 2012, over 20 people were killed in work zone or construction zone related car accidents. of these deaths, five were construction workers and the other were all drivers. North Carolina DOT, reported that in 2012, that there were over 1,700 accidents in work zones or construction zones resulting in serious injuries. It has been calculated that almost 50 percent of these accidents were directly related to North Carolina drivers speeding or being distracted.

North Carolina has begun an active campaign of cracking down on work zone recklessness by citing drivers for regularly and through better monitoring. During the month of April, North Carolina’s Work Zone Safety Awareness Month will lead to an increase in work zone safety enforcement. Authorities will focus on stopping speeders and distracted drivers in work zones in order to promote work zone safety. Fines for speeding in construction zones are typically increased by $250.00.

Often times, fines and punitive punishments are insufficient to discourage some drivers from continuing to operate their vehicles in a dangerous manner in work zones. In many instances, dangerous drivers will end up causing an accident with another driver because their directly disobey applicable driving laws. Victims of these accidents have the right to seek adequate and lawful compensation for their injuries as a result of a negligent driver’s accident.

If you have been injured, consider speaking to a Durham Lawyer focusing on Personal Injury.

The price for a personal injury dispute is very much depending on the facts along with circumstances connected to the North Carolina crash. The facts and also circumstances, such as the degree of the accident, type of accident, hospital costs, income decrease, pain and struggles, and also the aftermaths of the accident on your way of life are really the key aspects involved in establishing the monetary worth of a North Carolina Personal Injury litigation.

With examining a personal injury trial, the legal professional should definitely make an attempt to acquire a sense concerning precisely what a court could grant regarding your litigation. Quite a few of my clients assume that North Carolina personal injury settlements regarding various sorts of personal injury get a distinct worth or formula and that a jury may deliver uniform verdicts with regard to quite similar personal injuries. They certainly do not. The assessment concerning those traumas differ according to people and your suit. Once more, it is necessary to note that within North Carolina at this time there is no other known formula with regard to assessing the worth of a Personal Injury matter. The worth of a North Carolina Personal Injury case is actually exactly what a jury might verdict. In a trial with respect to a Personal Injuries, the jury would find out substantiation of the damages and also injuries. Using that information, the court would figure out the value of your North Carolina Personal Injury proceedings.

However, your Personal Injury suit can be managed without having the necessity for financially demanding litigation. Prior to a litigation is actually recorded, the insurance service provider will likely have a chance to analyze your claim for the purpose of arranging a settlement with regard to your injuries.

Several factors to consider which enter into the value of North Carolina personal injury resolutions are actually: The amount of damage was there on your vehicle? Just how fast were the vehicles going during the time of the impact? Did your airbag release? How many preexisting injuries and lawsuits you have obtained? How did your recuperation go? Exactly what kind of healthcare treatment did you experience? Does your medical care physician believe you will go through ache, suffering or medical costs in the future?

Although there may not be a distinct analytical formula with respect to evaluating your North Carolina Personal Injury proceedings, it is essential to keep in mind that that lack of a formula does not indicate that we do not know the worth of your matter. As a North Carolina Personal Injury lawyer, certain variables will be beneficial in comprehending the value of your injury proceedings. Such aspects include things like: jury verdicts that can be found around the State of North Carolina concerning identical disputes plus experience with previous clients with identical disputes. If you would like to talk to a North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyer, consider contacting Pierce Law Offices and setting up a free consultation to discuss your case.

In North Carolina car accidents are a leading cause of death for children. While teen drivers often put themselves in bad situations when they get behind the wheel, younger children are at risk of dying or being seriously injured in a car accident when traveling with parents or other adults in the car. If you or a family member has been involved in a personal injury accident, consider speaking directly to a Durham Personal Injury Lawyer.

According to the CDC, as many as 72 percent of car seats may be misused in a manner that makes kids more likely to get hurt. Some parents are not even aware of the requirement for car seat use or of other important safety rules intended to avoid injuring children in auto accidents.

SaferCar.gov provides four basic pieces of advice that every single parent should be sure to follow. This advice includes:

• Always using a car seat for every trip even for short ones when you are just going down the street. Most car accidents happen not on long trips but instead when you are close to home. An unrestrained child could be seriously hurt in an accident that occurs anywhere, including when you are running routine errands very close to where you live. In general, kids should be in car or booster seats until around age eight but this will vary depending upon the requirements of your state as well as the height and weight of your child.
• Selecting a car seat appropriately sized to your child. You will need to take both age and size into account when shopping for the right car seat. Directions provided by the manufacturer should also be followed carefully both in terms of size/weight limits as well as in terms of use.
• Ensuring the car seat is compatible with the car that you drive. The manufacturer of the car seat should be able to provide this information to you and the information is often found in the instructions for the carseat.
• Ensuring that children sit in the back until they are age 12 or older. A front air bag is designed for an adult-sized person, not for a child. If an accident were to happen with a child in the front seat, then the child could be seriously hurt by the airbag, which inflates at a rate of around 200 miles-per-hour.

Safer Car also provides links to additional resources that parents can use to learn more and to provide even better protection for their kids. This information can be invaluable in teaching parents the tools they need to ensure that the car is a safe place for their young passengers.

If you, or a family member, have been involved in an accident, determining the possibility of a successful personal injury claim and how to best proceed forward is essential for your durham personal injury case. Most of the legal issues in your potential claim – duty, breach, causation and damages – will revolve around the your specific facts. Without the proper representation you could possibly be barred from recovering the most possible damages for your injuries. Attorney J. Wallace Pierce can explain what the possibilities for recovery on your potential claim are and what it means in terms of moving forward with your claim.

Should you have been truly harmed in a collision because of another person’s negligence, it is exceptionally necessary to talk to a Durham Personal Injury Lawyer. Pierce Law Offices has the resources and knowledge to assist you and your family throughout this traumatic time.

While choosing whether or not to pursue a personal injury claim for the injuries you received, think about talking about your claim with Pierce Law Offices’ Durham personal injury lawyer. As a result of a collision, your injuries could certainly linger long after your vehicle has been restored at the body shop. Here are a few simple steps to consider soon after your collision:.

Seek Medical Treatment.
In case you have been injured in a wreck, the most essential thing you can possibly do is to search for prompt medical attention. You re unlikely to know exactly how seriously hurt you are unless you have sought medical treatment. Immediately after you have acquired medical treatment, be sure to comply with the physicians instructions. If ever your agony continues or intensifies, return to the doctor for your personal injuries.

Compile Evidence.
If you have been harmed in a personal injury crash, take photographs of your injuries and wounds. Photograph the cars involved and the destruction to the vehicles. In the event that it is free from danger, photograph the placement of the cars, if you are actually capable. Document any statements made by the other driver and gather all contact information for any witnesses to the accident. It may be helpful to make a folder or file to keep any and all pill bottles, sales slips, and various other actual documentation that may be useful in aiding in your recovery or settlement.

Describe Your Collision.
Take a moment in order to draw along with explain in writing precisely how the injury took place. Make certain that you explain the way in which you were operating as well as the other motorist, exactly what lanes of travel were involved, number of passengers, make and model of automobiles, speed and distance traveled, and every other related factors in your car accident.

Ask for the Police Report.
Assuming that no police report was actually produced or you did not receive a copy at the scene of the wreck, you may be able to request that a record from the local police department or submit a report. This can be very complicated and Pierce Law Offices would definitely be more than pleased to assist you with either.

Consult Pierce Law.
Obtaining you just what you deserve is extremely crucial thing for our Durham Personal Injury Lawyer. Call us right now at 919-313-2729 or complete an absolutely free initial assessment form.

In June 2011, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted HB 542, titled “Tort Reform for Citizens and Businesses.” Section 1.1 of the Tort Reform for Citizens and Businesses creates a new rule of evidence, Rule 414, that limits evidence of past medical expenses to “the amounts actually paid to satisfy the bills” and “the amounts actually necessary to satisfy the bills that have been incurred but not yet satisfied.” Section 1.2 of the Tort Reform for Citizens and Businesses, limits the plaintiff’s testimony about reasonable medical expenses to the amount “paid or required to be paid in full satisfaction” of the charges. The new provisions, commonly called “billed vs. paid,” will significantly reduce the amount that injured plaintiffs can recover for their medical expenses. The “billed vs. paid” provisions are effective for all actions “arising on or after” October 1, 2011.

What if the lawyer advises her client not to file the medical bills with his health insurance? This would obviously increase the amount of medical expenses that could be put into evidence and could result in a higher damages award. But what if, acting on that advice, the client does not submit his medical bills to his health insurance, lets the time for doing so elapse, and then goes to trial only to lose his case? Has the lawyer committed malpractice? More than likely, the answer is no.

North Carolina Rule of Professional Conduct 1.7(a)(2) states that a lawyer shall not represent a client if the representation may be materially limited by a personal interest of the lawyer. Is the lawyer’s interest in maximizing her fee by way of a larger award a conflict of interest? If so, can the lawyer get a waiver from the client to proceed anyway? Rule 1.7(b) says “yes,” as long as the get a waiver from the client to proceed anyway and as long as the lawyer reasonably believes that she will be able to provide competent and diligent representation to the client and the client gives informed consent, confirmed in writing.

Determining the possibility of a successful personal injury claim and how to best proceed forward is essential for your personal injury case. Most of the legal issues in your potential claim – duty, breach, causation and damages – will revolve around the your specific facts. Without the proper representation you could possibly be barred from recovering the most possible damages for your injuries. Attorney J. Wallace Pierce can explain what the possibilities for recovery on your potential claim are and what it means in terms of moving forward with your claim.