• Is there a limit to my claim?
• Is there a minimum for my claim?
• What is a realistic time frame?
• What happens when there is no insurance?
• What do I do if the insurance doesn’t cover everything?
• Does my insurance pay?
• Are lawsuits always filed?

How cases are settled in North Carolina depends on several different factors. We consider the cause of the injury, the level of coverage, and the likelihood of prevailing at trial – Danny Glover

How is a Settlement Reached in North Carolina?

Put simply, it depends.

Not to be glib, but the truth of the matter is, there are a lot of moving parts.

It can be complicated. There is no simple truth for every case. Reasonable minds can, and often do, differ.

That’s why it’s important to have a lawyer that is experienced handling a wide range of cases, who isn’t afraid to take something to trial, and who knows when it is better to settle.

It’s important to realize, ‘settling’ something is a legal term. We often times don’t settle until the insurance company gives up, realizes we’re serious, and settles ‘on the courthouse steps.’ Danny Glover

When we take a new client or accept a file for legal representation, it is important to follow certain steps. We like to:

• Gather important information
  • Witness names, addresses, and contact info
• Collect Police Reports
  • On-Scene Photographs
  • Drawings
  • Video Recordings
  • Witness Statements
  • Measurements
  • Physical Evidence
  • Vehicle Pictures
• Obtain Accident Reports

When you think about it, there really is a lot that needs to be done.

Sometimes we need all those materials to review the case, even to decide whether we can help and whether a successful claim for an auto accident may be made.

As such, we spend a fair amount of time talking to people. We like to meet, if possible, face-to-face to discuss the background of the accident.

If you were hurt in some sort of wreck, we need to know what caused that to happen. We also need to figure out whether other person involved is legally responsible or was in some way “negligent.”

That doesn’t mean people cause wrecks on purpose, although that does happen at times.

Being negligent doesn’t mean the person who caused the wreck is a bad person.

Clients are regularly shocked to hear a claim is being denied. They don’t understand why, until we explain litigation more-often-than not is caused by an unreasonable Insurance Company or Adjustor – Danny Glover

When we represent Outer Banks Car Wreck cases, we cannot undo the accident. We are stuck with trying to get people back to where they were, one second before the wreck.

Sometimes that isn’t even possible. Sometimes we help family members get through the loss of an accident that results in a fatality.

Contrary to what you might see on TV, there is no amount of money that can bring back a loved one. Family isn’t “hitting the lotto.”

We seek compensation for the loss of that person. . .for the rest of the surviving family’s life.

How do you calculate that? What is it worth? If you could get a loved-one back, even for a day, is there a value to that?

Danny Glover is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

That is NOT to say all his cases are worth millions of dollars. The point is, he has handled complicated cases in the past.

He has experience with issues involving complex litigation. And when legally and factually appropriate, he has obtained substantial verdicts on behalf of his clients.

Touch the Image Below. Check out what it takes to be included in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

What kinds of damages and losses are considered?

What we can do is work to get things like funeral expenses and lost wages covered. It’s not at all usual to see tremendous medical bills associated with a traumatic injury or semi truck wreck.

We see things like ambulance and helicopter emergency transport costs, EMS Emergency Medical Services Treatment, ER Emergency Room, CAT, MRI, Radiographic Imagery, Physician, Nurse, and Medical bills.

Those bills don’t simply go away. The hospitals and doctors demand payment.

So we help people get through their time of loss. We help people negotiate an Insurance Settlement, and if the level of coverage is not enough, sometimes we help people by engaging in litigation or filing suit.

How is a Settlement determined?

As stated, we look a lot of different things.

In addition to determining the “causality of the wreck,” we also figure out the consequences or damages or losses.

Personal Injury Lawyers spend their days looking at accident reports and medical records.

Because of recent changes in accident laws in North Carolina, we often prepare what lawyers refer to as a “Demand Packa

We set forth the cause the wreck, who was negligent, and thereafter explain what things cost and why.

Thereafter we spend time providing documentation. That may include billing statements or financial summaries.

When people are out of work, we normally provide proof of lost wages at work.

If people are permanently injured, we might prepare a “life plan,” showing how much help they’ll need in the future to survive.

That involves some pretty complicated math, as we’re engaged in trying to figure out what medical treatments will be necessarily in the future, how much that will cost, considering things like inflation, cost-of-living, and other financial variables.

Put simply, it can be complicated.

And because of that, determining a fair settlement in North Carolina can take time. . .and result in disputes, resulting in a lawsuit being filed when appropriate.

Why won’t they just settle? They caused the wreck.

Great question. The answer is, money.

Insurance companies are in the business of making profits for their Board of Directors and shareholders.

They are not in the business of making sure you get 100% of what you’re entitled to.

And when it comes to making money, nothing is more profitable to insurance companies than denying a claim – Danny Glover

What is the maximum amount of compensation I can get from a car accident? There isn’t a maximum.

But there is a minimum, and that is zero.

It is also to point out that just because a verdict or judgment is entered in a case, that doesn’t mean that money ever actually gets paid to you.

If there isn’t insurance coverage or enough insurance coverage, that very well may be part of the conversation and negotiations in obtaining a Settlement.

Finally, there also can be a minimum if the jury decides the person suing for recovery was at fault.

Again, that minimum may also turn out to be zero. . .or worse.

If you are deemed to have been contributorily negligent, you may receive no recovery or settlement and still be responsible for your medical bills.

Because of that, it makes sense to talk to an experienced courtroom litigator like Danny Glover.

He can help explain the process to you. He offers a free, confidential consultation. And Danny can help you determine the most appropriate manner in which to proceed.

Lawyers in North Carolina seek what is best for their client.

They consider a lot of different factors. As such, the more experience they have, the better.

Give Danny a call now at: (252)-299-5300

Modified Transcript of “What is the maximum amount of compensation I can get from a car accident?” for the Hearing Impaired

There is no maximum compensation that you can get from a car wreck.

The jury decides how much the case is worth unless there’s already been a settlement.

There is no maximum amount that you can get.

Obviously, the more you’re hurt, the more your case is worth.

That amount that you get is either determined by an agreement between you and the insurance company or by the jury later at trial.

I’m Danny Glover with the Glover Law Firm. If you have any questions about your car wreck, give me a call. It’s completely free.

It’s confidential. I’ll be happy to talk to you.

• How long will the trial last?
• Will I need to testify?
• Are there extra costs incurred?
• Do I have any other options?
• Why won’t the Insurance Company pay my claim?

Taking a case to Court is one option available to an experienced lawyer. The key is knowing when to negotiate and when to fight – Danny Glover

Why would a case go to trial?

Sometimes cases “go to trial” because they have to, not because the person hurt wants to argue in Court. In fact, most people just want to get what’s fair, settle-up, and move on with their lives.

Unfortunately, that’s not always how things work.

Contrary to people might think, the system isn’t always fair. As an attorney experienced handling Wreck and Accident cases involving cars, motorcycles, and even bicycles, it’s not usual to have a conversation with a client, where occasionally harsh realities, are exposed about the Personal Injury system.

We hear things like, “Wait, they caused the wreck. No one disputes that. Why are they fighting the claim? Why are they saying I did something wrong? I’m not asking for a bunch of money, I just want my bills paid. I want my car fixed. Why are they being this way?”

Here’s the hard truth: Insurance Companies make money by settling claims for less than they are worth. In fact, they make the most money when they pay nothing.

If people were always treated fairly by the carriers, I wouldn’t have a job. People wouldn’t need a lawyer – Danny Glover

Obviously there are always two sides to a story. There are times when reasonable minds can disagree.

Wrecks can be caused by the fault of several people. In North Carolina, we have some pretty tough laws regarding that.

We remain one of the few states in the country that rigidly applies the Contributory Negligence doctrine.

If you are involved in a wreck, you will find out very quickly how important that legal term is. “Contrib” is more than just a term lawyers use in Court.

MORE INFO: What to Do After You’ve Been In a Traffic Accident this Holiday Season

It has consequences.

If you are deemed, “Contributorily Negligent” in a wreck you get nothing. Zero.

Even if the other person is 99% at fault and you did one, minor, thing wrong, you get nothing.

Doesn’t seem very fair, does it?

Who does that benefit? The Insurance Companies. That’s because in most circumstances, it’s the Insurance Company paying the claim, NOT the person who caused the wreck.

It’s possible for the Defendant to be “sued individually,” and in cases where the amount of insurance coverage isn’t enough, they may be personally liable.

But as lawyers, we are not even allowed to mention, in court, that there is insurance or an insurance company involved.

Again, that may not seem very fair; but, that’s the law in North Carolina.

As such, a decent number of cases go to trial to determine just that. Who was at fault? Was there Contributory Negligence?

Jurors are asked things like:

• What the Defendant negligent?
• Did the Defendant cause the accident?
• Was Defendant’s negligence the reason for the wreck?
• Were the Plaintiff’s Injuries and Damages a result of the wreck?
• Was the Plaintiff responsible, even in part, for the accident?

Lawyers use terms like “direct” or “proximate cause” in trials.

Modified Transcript of “How Long Does It Take to go to Trial” for the Hearing Impaired

It depends on what part of the state you’re in. In Northeastern North Carolina, we’re very rural and our courts don’t meet nearly as often as they do in Raleigh or Charlotte.

In Elizabeth City, Manteo, Currituck, Chowan County, it typically takes somewhere between a year and two years for the entire litigation process to work its way through.

That would include written discovery, depositions, mediation, medical depositions, and then eventually, you get to a point where the case is ready for trial. Then you wait your turn.

So, a year to two years, but remember that a settlement can be reached at any point during that process.

I’m Danny Glover with the Glover Law Firm. If you have any questions about your car wreck, give me call. It’s completely free. It’s confidential. I’ll be happy to talk to you. (252) 299-5300