Asheville Car Accident Lawyer

Your Auto Accident Compensation Advocate

Car accidents are often cited as causing accidental injuries and deaths in North Carolina each year. If you or a loved one recently experienced a car accident in the Asheville area, it is natural to have lots of important legal questions about your situation that you will not be able to answer on your own. Having an experienced Asheville car accident lawyer on your side will make resolving your case much easier and more likely to yield positive results.

The first steps you take after a car accident can profoundly influence your recovery in multiple ways. It is crucial to receive medical attention for your injuries immediately, even if you think you only sustained minor injuries. Once you have addressed your medical needs, it is important that you reach out to an experienced Asheville car accident lawyer before you start investigating any potential avenues of recovery on your own.

Experienced Legal Counsel for Car Accident Claims in Asheville, NC

Ganly & Ramer, P.L.L.C. can help you make clearer sense of the aftermath of a car accident in Asheville and guide you toward a positive conclusion to your recovery efforts. Our firm has helped many past clients navigate the complex legal proceedings they have faced after other drivers have injured them. We can assist with filing your auto insurance claim and/or pursuing a personal injury claim if necessary for your recovery.

While it is technically possible for you to pursue compensation for your car accident on your own, this would be very risky and more difficult than you might expect. You would contend with strict procedural deadlines and filing requirements with the insurance company and the court system, and you would face these challenges while recovering from painful injuries and/or helping a loved one recover.

Even if you managed to succeed in proving fault, you would face the risk of settling for less compensation than you rightfully deserve, and it could also take much longer than you expect to receive any type of settlement. By hiring an experienced Asheville car accident lawyer to represent you, you will significantly reduce the time it will take for you to resolve your case, and you will be more likely to maximize your total compensation as much as state law allows.

Proving Liability for a Car Accident in Asheville

Your first challenge following any car accident in Asheville is proving exactly how the accident happened. You will need to identify the driver responsible for causing the accident and provide proof of how they caused it. Next, you must prove the full scope of your resulting damages. Car accidents happen throughout North Carolina every day for various reasons, and the most commonly cited cause of these incidents is driver negligence.

The term “negligence” can define a party’s failure to meet a specific duty of care in a situation, or it can generally define any failure to exercise reasonable care. Driver negligence can take many forms, including distracted driving, fatigued driving, moving violations, or driving too fast for conditions. Every driver has a duty of care to operate their vehicle safely and responsibly and to adhere to posted traffic signals and signs at all times.

Proving negligence in any civil claim for damages requires proof that the at-fault party held a duty of care that they breached in some way or failed to act with reasonable care in a given situation. Next, the victim must prove that the defendant’s negligence resulted in “actual harm” or some kind of measurable loss. In other words, the plaintiff must be prepared to show that their damages would not have happened but for the defendant’s negligence.

Alternatively, it may be necessary to prove that the defendant in question broke the law in causing your recent accident in Asheville. The most common way for this to apply is intoxicated driving. It is illegal for anyone to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but intoxicated driving is one of the most commonly prosecuted criminal offenses in North Carolina each year.

If the defendant in your case broke the law, they will not only face criminal charges for causing the accident but also enhanced penalties if their actions resulted in great bodily harm or death. Your Asheville car accident lawyer will help you understand what implications the defendant’s criminal behavior could have on your forthcoming legal proceedings and your final case award.

Filing an Auto Insurance Claim in Asheville

Every driver in North Carolina must have a minimum requirement for auto insurance. A standard minimum-coverage policy must include at least $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage for a single person, at least $60,000 to cover bodily injury to multiple victims in a single accident, and at least $25,000 to cover property damage, such as vehicle repair costs.

While these coverage amounts may seem generous, the reality is that a car accident can easily result in substantial damages that a minimum coverage policy may not be able to fully compensate. Dealing with insurance companies is also often challenging as they will look for any and all ways they can find to justify denying claims or offering the lowest possible settlements.

Your Asheville car accident lawyer can help you navigate the insurance claim filing process, gathering all of the documentation you need to submit to the insurance carrier, resolving any disputes they raise against your claim, and helping to ensure you are treated in good faith and receive a fair settlement offer.

People injured in car accidents in North Carolina are often surprised to learn that insurance coverage doesn’t always entirely pay for the damages. In fact, it is the insurance adjuster’s job to try to settle for the lowest amount of compensation possible. Once you sign an agreement to accept a settlement, you forfeit your right to recover additional money for future bills.

It is always a good idea to consult an Asheville car accident lawyer before filing your auto insurance claim and certainly before speaking with insurance claim adjusters. These insurance company representatives are trained to look for any justifications they can find to deny a claim or offer the smallest possible settlement. Your attorney can help to ensure you are treated fairly by the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier.

Pursuing Compensation For A Lifetime

If you have been injured in a car wreck in North Carolina, don’t talk to your own or the other driver’s insurance adjuster until you learn about the pitfalls of settling too early. Call Ganly & Ramer, P.L.L.C., at our Asheville office. Your settlement will need to cover a lifetime of financial damages, including ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy and assistive devices that may be required to help you cope with your injuries. We will handle everything to help you recover the full and fair money damages you are entitled to.

Our professional credentials and awards include:

• Attorney Thomas Ramer has more than 35 years of experience handling North Carolina workers’ compensation claims.
• Tom Ramer has received an AV Preeminent* peer-review rating for ethical standards and legal ability.
• The law firm has received recognition in North Carolina Super Lawyers Magazine.
• Attorneys Ganly and Ramer have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America publication.
• The firm has earned membership to the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

North Carolina has laws regarding “paid vs. billed” compensation for medical costs and other financial damages. Call us to learn more about your rights. You have a relatively short time in which to pursue your recovery, and the more time your attorney has to investigate and build your case, the more effective their legal counsel will be when it comes to maximizing your total recovery.

Claiming Compensation With a Personal Injury Suit

If insurance does not fully cover your damages from a car accident in Asheville, you may have grounds to pursue a personal injury claim. This type of civil claim seeks to make an injured victim as “whole” as possible after an injury by holding the at-fault party accountable for the harm they have done. The plaintiff must identify the party who injured them and prove the full scope of the damages they suffered in the incident in question.

Under the statutes for personal injury in North Carolina, the injured party has the right to recover compensation for any economic losses that occurred due to the defendant’s actions. In a case pertaining to a car accident, these economic losses are likely to include the cost of repairing your vehicle and other property damage, medical bills, and lost income. However, the injured plaintiff may also claim compensation for projected future damages.

For example, if you suffered a severe catastrophic injury in your recent accident, you may not only face expensive immediate medical bills for treatment of your injury, but you may also need extensive ongoing rehabilitative care for you to fully recover from the injury. The defendant, in this case, would be liable for both your immediate and future medical expenses arising from the harm they inflicted in the accident.

Similarly, you can not only claim compensation for your lost wages but also your lost earning capacity. Many car accident victims suffer permanently disabling injuries that interfere with their ability to work and earn income. If this has happened to you, you have the right to seek compensation for the future income you are no longer able to earn, and your Asheville car accident lawyer can help you accurately calculate these projected damages.

Finally, the plaintiff in a personal injury case also has the right to seek compensation for their pain and suffering. It may sound difficult to quantify intangible losses like physical pain and emotional distress in monetary terms, but your attorney can help you determine a reasonable figure that reflects the seriousness of the injury you suffered. Additionally, North Carolina does not limit noneconomic damages in most personal injury cases.

What to Expect From Your Asheville Car Accident Lawyer

The aftermath of any car accident in Asheville can be very daunting without legal counsel you can trust on your side. The right attorney can have a tremendous positive impact on the outcome of your impending case, helping you navigate all the various channels of compensation that may be available to you in this situation. You’re more likely to succeed with your recovery efforts and maximize the total compensation you obtain with an experienced attorney’s help.

The team at Ganly & Ramer, P.L.L.C., has years of professional experience representing injured car accident victims in Asheville and the surrounding communities of North Carolina. We know the various legal challenges you might encounter in your efforts to recover from your accident and how to help you overcome them efficiently. You can trust us to negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf and build a compelling personal injury suit if needed.

We aim to help every personal injury client we represent settle their case as swiftly as possible to reduce the time they must wait to receive compensation for their losses. However, if settlement is not a viable option for resolving your case for any reason, you can trust our team to represent you in the courtroom. Ultimately, whatever your case requires, you have the greatest chance of reaching a positive outcome with an Asheville car accident lawyer representing you.

FAQs

Q: Is North Carolina a No-Fault State for Car Accidents?

A: No, North Carolina is not a no-fault state for car accidents. Proving fault will be essential for any car accident victim in Asheville. They must identify the party that caused the car accident and prove exactly how they caused it before they will be able to recover any compensation through an auto insurance claim and/or personal injury suit. Your Asheville car accident lawyer can help gather the evidence needed to build your case.

Q: What Happens if I’m Partially at Fault for My Recent Car Accident in Asheville?

A: If you partially caused your recent car accident in Asheville, you will be personally responsible for your own damages and will not be able to get compensation from another party. North Carolina enforces a pure contributory negligence rule, which comes into play in any civil case in which the plaintiff is found partially liable for the damages in question. If a defendant alleges contributory negligence, your attorney will help you determine how to respond.

Q: What Is the Worth of a Car Accident Claim in Asheville?

A: The potential value of your car accident claim in Asheville will depend on the severity of your damages. If you are able to prove another party is directly responsible for the cause of your accident, they are liable for the full scope of the damages they caused. Success with your case may result in recovering compensation for vehicle repair costs, medical expenses, and any income that was lost. Your attorney can help you determine the full potential value of your claim.

Q: How Can I Prove Fault for a Car Accident in Asheville?

A: You can prove fault for your car accident in Asheville by gathering several forms of physical and digital evidence, which may include photos of the accident scene, footage captured by traffic cameras, cell phone records, and testimony from witnesses who saw the accident happen firsthand. It’s important to consult with an attorney soon after your accident so they can immediately begin gathering evidence to support your case.

Q: What Is the Cost of an Asheville Car Accident Lawyer?

A: The cost of an Asheville car accident lawyer may only amount to a percentage of your total case award if you choose Ganly & Ramer, P.L.L.C. to represent you. Our firm accepts these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning our clients only have to pay a percent of the amount of compensation we secure on their behalf. Additionally, they only pay this fee if we successfully win the claim, and there are no upfront attorney’s fees for our firm’s representation.

Start Your Case Today

Ganly & Ramer, P.L.L.C. in Asheville represents people who are injured or lost a loved one in an auto accident anywhere in North Carolina. Call us at 828-844-5274 or use our convenient email contact form to arrange a free consultation. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you only pay attorneys’ fees or case preparation costs if we win your case.