Greensboro Personal Injury Lawyer

Are you hurt? Worried about how to pay all those doctor’s bills? Unsure about whether you can file an insurance claim to recoup your costs after an accident?

Any time you’re injured and aren’t sure where to turn, reach out to Tatum & Atkinson: The Heavy Hitters! You’ll gain the benefit of having an attorney team that comes out swinging.

Whether you’ve suffered an injury in a motor vehicle accident, a catastrophic fall, a professional malpractice incident, or other scenarios, we arrive quickly at your side to fight for your legal rights. Don’t trust insurers to do the right thing and make an offer that’s in line with what your case is truly worth.

Call in the folks who’ll put their feet to the fire and hold them accountable for every penny of damages you’ve suffered.

Your first consultation with our Greensboro injury law firm is always free, and you’ll never have to pay anything up-front for our representation. That means there’s no risk to you as you gain the benefits of having experienced and proven attorneys to duke it out for the settlement you need.

Schedule your free, confidential case review with no obligation today when you call us at 800-LAW-0804 or contact us online.

What Types of Cases Can a Greensboro Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me With?

Some of the most common case types we handle at Tatum & Atkinson include:

• Car Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Brain Injury
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Drunk Driving Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Rideshare Accidents
• Amputation Injuries
• Defective Products
• Dog Bites
• Sexual Assault
• Construction Site Accidents
• Premises Liability (Slip and Fall)
• Medical Malpractice
• Wrongful Death

Any time you have been hurt, though, we’re ready to listen. Even if your case doesn’t seem to fit in the types listed above, we can help you determine if you have a claim, who could hold liability for your injury costs, and what options you have for pursuing damages.

Our Greensboro law firm focuses solely on motor vehicle accident cases and other types of personal injury cases. Every attorney we hire has the knowledge and abilities needed to be effective at this area of the law.

They’re willing to fight for you, tooth and nail, to explore every option and seek out the full amount of damages to which you may be entitled.

How Can I Afford to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Greensboro, NC?

The good news is that you don’t have to!

Tatum & Atkinson can work with you on a contingency agreement. That means that you don’t have to pay anything up-front, and you only owe us for our services if we’re able to recover a settlement for you.

In other words, our own payment is contingent on successful results. This arrangement motivates us to take on cases that we truly believe in. We’ll do everything we can to maximize each case’s chances of success as well as the possible size of its payout.

We can’t guarantee results for any given case, but we do guarantee that your injury claim will be in good hands with our associates. Our reputation for serving our clients well can be seen both within the glowing testimonials we receive and our track record of winning million-plus settlements on behalf of our clients.

The amount you’ll pay when you win is always presented up-front and in clear terms. You don’t have to assume any personal risk, meaning you can start using our services today, regardless of what financial situation you are in.

No matter where you’re currently at, our goal is to fight as hard as we can to get you somewhere better! That’s why we’re the Heavy Hitters!

What Damages Could I Be Eligible to Receive in an Injury Settlement?

The money you need to repay your medical bills and other injury-related costs can either come from a settlement offered by the liable party or from a jury verdict.

In either case, there are a few common categories of damages that are sought. While your situation may be unique, there’s a good chance some or all of your compensation will come from one of the following categories.

Medical Bills

Without question, medical bills make up the bulk of most personal injury settlements. That’s because healthcare is extremely expensive these days.

Data from the North Carolina Department of Transportation from 2022 shows that Guilford County, where Greensboro is located, experiences over $1.8 BILLION in economic losses from motor vehicle accidents each year, on average. That’s around $206,100 every hour worth of crash-related losses.

Most of these losses stem from the high costs of post-accident treatment. Injured parties may also require extensive follow-up care, possibly even for the rest of their lives.

A medical bills claim allows accident injury victims to recover the full costs of all reasonable and necessary care they receive in relation to their crash. It encompasses all immediate care costs, including the costs of ambulance transportation, emergency department care, diagnostics, testing, imaging, specialist consultations, and hospitalization.

If the injury victim requires surgery, a procedure, or special medication, the claim will cover those, too.

One challenging area for injury victims to project is the future costs of their continuing care. That includes all physical rehabilitation and follow-up appointments required. If the victim needs modifications to their home, such as the addition of a ramp, or they need to hire a nurse in order to monitor and care for their condition, a personal injury settlement is supposed to account for the total estimate of all such costs, too.

Your attorney will work closely with your healthcare team while consulting with industry experts to fully understand just how long your initial recovery period will take, whether you will experience any long-term conditions, and what the full costs, past and future, might be.

Lost Wages

A “lost wages” claim covers more than just work hours missed for people who get paid on an hourly basis. Instead, it’s supposed to cover all losses to income. This figure is calculated by taking the average of the last 6–18 months of earnings and then subtracting the current earnings of the victim.

Injury victims are supposed to be reimbursed for any reductions in their income, referring both to situations where work hours are reduced, or duties have been lightened as well as those where the injured party is completely unable to work for several weeks or months.

Lost wages claims also reimburse individuals for the value of any benefits they were forced to use as a result of the accident, helping salaried employees recover the value of their sick leave and other paid time off (PTO).

Workers who are used to receiving some — or most — of their compensation through alternative arrangements can also seek to recover the value of any missing tips, commissions, bonuses, performance-based pay, or forms of payment-in-kind.

Injured parties who face an extended recovery period may be eligible for long-term (sometimes even permanent) replacement of wages. If they have acquired a disability or are otherwise unable to return to their former duties, they may be able to receive compensation for the full reduction of their lifetime of earnings.

An injury claim can also provide funds for skills retraining or any new programs and educational pathways the victim pursues in light of their need to transition to a new career.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

A claim for excess losses will typically itemize costs that an injury victim encounters solely because of their accident. Common examples include the costs of a rental vehicle, the costs of transportation to or parking at medical appointments, and the costs of any medications or medical devices purchased over the counter after a recommendation by a medical professional.

Save any and all receipts you receive after you have been hurt, and your attorney can help you determine which costs may be covered in an injury settlement.

Personal Property Damages

Damages to personal property often take the form of a wrecked vehicle. This claims area can compensate victims for the costs of repairing their vehicle or, if there is a total loss, the costs of an adequate replacement.

There may also be claims for lesser (albeit still quite expensive) damages to personal effects, including cell phones, other devices, clothing, sporting goods, and any vehicle accessories or modifications affected by the crash.

Some personal injury situations may also involve a loss inflicted upon a piece of real estate or on a small business. Your attorney can examine these losses and determine if a liability claim is appropriate.

Pain and Suffering

A claim for “pain and suffering” involves non-economic damages, ones that nevertheless inflict a clear price upon your quality of life in the wake of an accidental injury. The idea is that, even after covering all of your strictly financial costs, there is still the matter of your own unpleasant experience that deserves some form of compensation.

Accordingly, pain and suffering damages can encompass a broad range of undesirable situations, including physical pain, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life stemming from the results of an injury. There is also the matter of being forced to miss out on important moments with loved ones, especially if the injury victim is unable to participate in planned events, such as a ski trip with the family.

Pain and suffering damages can be considered subjective, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be measured. Your attorney will work with you to document your experiences, such as by keeping a “pain journal” that records all of the moments you feel intense pain or are saddened by an inability to perform certain activities.

Wrongful Death Damages

In the most tragic of personal injury scenarios, the victim may sadly pass away as a result of their condition. A wrongful death claim seeks to recoup all of the above costs suffered by the victim, as they constitute measurable reductions to the value of their estate.

On top of these damages, surviving family members can pursue a separate claim for their own losses they have experienced. This claim can include compensation for their collective pain and suffering, the loss of time spent with their loved one, the loss of income experienced by the household, and the loss of domestic services the loved one once performed.

In addition, a wrongful death claim can provide funds to cover the costs of handling the remains of the decedent and providing them with a proper ceremony to honor their memory.

What Are the Steps to a Typical Injury Claim?

Every personal injury claim is different. However, it can be helpful to understand how a generic one might play out.

In most cases, all that is needed to recover the costs of your damages is to file a claim against the appropriate liability insurance policy. This will be the policy of the driver who hit you in car accident cases or the property owner’s liability policy in cases where there was a slip-and-fall or other accident on their property (Doctors and other medical professionals, on the other hand, carry malpractice insurance).

Insurers will typically investigate the claim and then present a settlement offer for damages. They may dispute some or all of the damages claimed by the injured party.

They may even try to deny the claim altogether, such as by disputing the role their policyholder played in the injury events. In these cases, your attorney will negotiate using the full weight of available evidence and your own legal standing.

Only in rare cases will a lawsuit be necessary. Most often, lawsuits are filed when insurers or other at-fault parties refuse to make a reasonable settlement offer.

Your attorney may also advise that you file a lawsuit preemptively, such as in cases where evidence may disappear, or the other party may try to sue you first for whatever reason.

With all this context in mind, here are the typical steps to an average injury claim:

• The accident is reported to the police or the appropriate party. The injury event must be documented through a formal procedure in order for a claim to go through.

• The victim receives a medical diagnosis so their condition can be understood, including their projected recovery timeline. They will also begin treatment.

• The victim gives notice of a claim to the appropriate insurer. They do not have to provide any specific details at this time. Nevertheless, it’s often prudent to secure the services of an injury lawyer prior to speaking with any insurers.

• The fault is investigated, and damages are documented. The injury victim can investigate the incident to find proof of causation and fault. They can also calculate the full value of damages they have suffered and will suffer.

• Demands for payment are sent. An injury victim can open a formal claim once their medical condition is better understood and their damages are estimated. This claim can begin with the issuance of a demand to cover the appropriate liabilities.

• The insurer investigates the claim. Insurance companies will hire their own adjusters and legal representatives to look into the claim.

• A settlement offer is sent. After seeing the claimed damages and making their own assessment, the insurer will provide a settlement offer. They may also deny coverage for the claim, in part or in full, and they must provide a legal or policy basis for each denial.

• Negotiations commence. Insurers act like their first offer is their final offer, but the truth is they don’t want to get sued. Injured parties and their attorneys can negotiate in good faith to bring the settlement value more in line with the true extent of damages they have suffered.

• A settlement is reached, in most cases, after a few weeks of negotiation. The injury victim signs the agreement and will receive either a lump sum check or a series of checks, paying them for the damages they have suffered.

• OR, the situation escalates if no settlement is reached. Your attorney will then explore options with you for filing a lawsuit or taking other forms of legal action. The goal is often to compel the at-fault party to come back to the negotiation table in good faith.

What Happens When I Sue the At-Fault Party?

As indicated above, a lawsuit may be needed if no reasonable settlement value can be reached through negotiations alone. Your attorney may also recommend filing a lawsuit in order to help you gain the legal powers needed to fully investigate your case and indicate your seriousness in recovering damages.

Filing a lawsuit before going through the whole claims process can make sense when:

• The other party is likely to deny coverage or enter litigation to avoid assuming liability; such is often the case after truck accidents with commercial vehicles or accidents on commercial property
• The damages are extremely high, most often because the victim suffered a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or other substantial form of medical harm. At-fault parties are more likely to assume a defensive legal position when faced with the prospect of paying extensive damages.
• The at-fault party or their insurer refuses to turn over evidence or needed documentation. Discovery powers compel them to furnish this information and do everything they can to avoid destroying anything that could be relevant to the case.
• The statute of limitations is close at hand, or there are other concerns that the case’s timeline could jeopardize the victim’s ability to recover damages.
• The opposing party is suing you for any number of reasons, including defamation or accusation that you were the one who inflicted damages upon them or their business.
• Your case involves complex legal questions that may require a judge or jury to sift fully consider.
• Your case is similar to others, especially when there are claims against product manufacturers or other parties who have harmed individuals in multiple jurisdictions.

While filing a lawsuit may sound scary, the truth is that it can sometimes be the only way to get the other side to take your claim seriously. The goal is almost always to pressure the other party to come back to the negotiation table rather than face the time and expense of going to trial.

Often, a settlement can be reached in order to avoid prolonging the case timeline any further.

At the same time, know that Tatum & Atkinson: The Heavy Hitters won’t back down from a legal fight. We are willing to take most cases to trial in order to fully assert our client’s right to seek due compensation.

Every case is prepared with this in mind, letting insurers know that if they don’t want to see us at the negotiation table, they’ll see us in court — and they better be ready!

Who Is Responsible for Paying My Medical Bills and Other Damages?

The liable party in your case depends on a number of factors, including whose negligence directly caused or contributed to your injuries. There may even be multiple parties named.

In most cases, the party who holds responsibility for your injury costs will be one (or a few) of the following:

• A driver who hit you
• A commercial truck driver who caused an accident
• A property owner, manager, or business occupant responsible for maintaining the property where you got hurt
• A company that manufactured a defective or dangerous product then negligently allowed it to harm the public
• An irresponsible dog owner who let their dog bite you despite having knowledge that the dog was dangerous
• A parent of a minor whose irresponsible or dangerous actions led to your injury
• The alleged perpetrator of a crime that caused you bodily harm
• A government entity responsible for keeping the premises safe at the public location you were hurt, maintaining public roads, designing safe public spaces, etc
• A contractor at your job site who contributed to your workplace accident

Your attorney will help you investigate the circumstances of your accident and determine any and all parties who could hold liability. They will then help you file a claim — or a lawsuit — against any at-fault parties in order to seek the full amount of damages you have suffered.

What Is the North Carolina Statute of Limitations for Injury Claims?

In North Carolina, injury victims have three years from the date of their injury event to file a claim.

This period may be extended if:

• The injury or illness was not discovered until after the initial event
• The victim was a minor at the time they were injured
• The victim was medically or mentally incapacitated for an extended period
• The likely at-fault party cannot be located because they have left the state

There may be other reasons for extending the deadline to file a claim. Refer to your attorney to learn about situations similar to yours where other claimants were able to do so.

At the same time, never delay seeking legal advice for your possible injury claim. Three years may sound like a long time, but valuable evidence may disappear.

You also give the party accused of fault more opportunities to cast legal doubts as to the nature of your injuries and their likely cause.

Once a statute of limitations has lapsed, there may be little to nothing you can do to pursue a claim. A judge will be likely to dismiss the injury claim, and so insurers will deny coverage, too.

Act quickly, and reach out to experienced attorneys in Greensboro who will come out fighting on your behalf!

How Does Contributory Negligence Affect Greensboro Injury Claims?

When an injury victim has allegedly contributed to the circumstances of their own accident, this is referred to as “contributory negligence.”

Unfortunately, North Carolina is one of the few states to completely bar a victim’s ability to recover compensation if they contributed even 1% of the fault! The opposing party has the burden of proof, though, to make this legal assertion.

Because of the risk that a claim could be summarily dismissed or denied, it is often vital to work with an experienced attorney team any time you have an injury claim in North Carolina. Your lawyer can help you anticipate common defenses to liability, preparing you for possible accusations that you contributed to the fault.

What Is the Legal Basis for My Personal Injury Claim?

Injury claims are part of the broader system of “tort law,” which involves any situation where the actions of another party lead to a medical or economic injury. The law provides a direct remedy for torts, meaning that the at-fault party will be compelled by court order to pay for the costs of damages they inflicted.

Liability insurance policies were created to help reduce the economic risks to drivers, property owners, business owners, and other parties so that injury victims could claim money from the insurance funds rather than the at-fault party themselves. Otherwise, every injury case would likely have to result in a lawsuit.

Most times, injury cases will involve proving negligence. Negligence states that the at-fault party had a duty of care that they breached, which directly led to an injury and resulting damages.

Each of the bolded phrases indicates one of the “four parts” of negligence that must be proven in order to establish liability.

Does the At-Fault Party Have to Have Intentionally Hurt Me to Be Liable?

No. Negligence law provides that every person must exercise the appropriate level of care to avoid harming others.

They must obey laws, in other words, while exercising “reasonable and ordinary care” to avoid causing accidents that are “foreseeable,” meaning ones that can easily be predicted.

The legal concept of foreseeability doesn’t come up often in car accidents since everyone knows (or should reasonably know) how dangerous driving is. However, it can become an issue in premises liability and product liability claims.

For premises liability claims, the property owner (or other, most-proximate responsible party) has to have either had actual knowledge of the hazard that harmed someone or sufficient reasons that they should have been able to predict a hazard. Neglecting to maintain carpet, for example, can lead to trip-and-falls.

However, they are not responsible for an unpredictable accident, especially if it involves precautions that would fall outside of typical duties. They are not, for example, likely to be considered liable if a panther escapes a zoo and maims shoppers at their grocery store.

For product liability claims, the product manufacturer similarly must either have known about the danger a product presented or have neglected their duties in such a way as to make harm likely to befall their customers. In other words, they must have shown some form of negligence, as North Carolina does not allow strict liability claims for dangerous products.

With all that said, a party can certainly be held liable when they have intentionally or recklessly inflicted harm upon someone. This type of legal claim can occur in the wake of a criminal assault or a pattern of gross negligence by a corporate entity.

Refer to your attorney for guidance on the most appropriate cause of action for your case and how to begin building a legal argument with a high chance of success.

How Does a Greensboro Personal Injury Law Firm Help Me Win My Accident Claim?

There’s no such thing as 100% certainty in the legal field, meaning no attorney can honestly guarantee that you will win a given case. With that said, the services, resources, and experience an attorney provides can all serve to make your life easier in the wake of an accident — while also dramatically raising your claim’s chances of success.

The bottom line is that insurance companies handle hundreds of thousands of claims a year. You may have handled just a few — or none — in your lifetime. Insurers use this imbalanced situation to pressure claimants into making a few different false assumptions.

Common false assumptions an injured claimant could make might include:

• They have to tell the insurer everything, including their prior medical history
• They have to either accept the first offer they get or lose the chance to get anything
• The insurer will try to find every bit of coverage possible, leaving nothing out that is promised in the policy
• They have to provide a recorded statement about the accident
• They have to give all of the information needed to finish the claim right at the start, even if their medical prognosis is unclear
• Any denial will be for valid reasons, and there’s no way to fight it
• Delays are normal and acceptable during the claims process
• It’s better to not make waves rather than risk being counter-sued by the insurer or the person they represent

Again, these assumptions are all 100% false in the vast majority of situations.

Fortunately, you have the chance to hire someone who has handled just as many claims as the average insurance adjuster: your own Greensboro personal injury lawyer. They will give you the straight talk on your legal rights, what options you have available, and whether the other side is giving you the runaround on your claim.

Appointing your own Greensboro personal injury attorney shows the other side that you are serious about recovering your damages. They can know that you will scrutinize any lowball offers and look into the validity of each and every statement insurers make.

This factor alone can be enough to get most insurers to settle for a reasonable amount rather than draw out the process of negotiation.

Benefits and Services Offered by Our Greensboro Injury Lawyers

On top of having someone to fight for your legal rights in your corner, a personal injury law firm in Greensboro can also provide the following services:

• Investigating your case thoroughly to determine fault and any other critical factors

• Accurately valuing your damages, including all projected future care costs and lost wages

• Documenting and justifying all claims for damages, such as by providing detailed statements and journals documenting your pain and suffering

• Handling the claims process efficiently, ensuring all paperwork is complete and filed on time

• Guiding you through every step of your case, keeping you informed of its progress and all your legal options, while also answering your burning questions

• Researching applicable laws and outcomes of cases similar to yours, giving you and your legal team insights as to precedents and other factors that can empower your claim

• Negotiating aggressively and fearlessly with insurers and all other parties involved, using their deep experience in reaching settlements

• Protecting your legal rights while helping you avoid feeling intimidated by baseless implied threats to your ability to fully recover damages

• Preparation for a possible lawsuit and court case, further pressuring the other side to settle while ensuring your case is ready for its day in court, should the need arise

Tatum & Atkinson: The Heavy Hitters has a reputation for achieving the highest levels of client service. We keep your case off the ropes and provide you with the strategy and guidance you need to catch your opponent off-balance.

Our goal is always to seek the maximum amount of compensation that could be reasonably recovered for your case while helping reduce the stress and effort required of you during your delicate recovery period.

If You Have Been Hurt, Take These 8 Steps NOW!

The actions you take immediately after a car accident or other injury incident can have a huge effect on your case’s chances of success.

To protect your legal right to claim damages, take the following steps while keeping our precautions and other information in mind.

• Recognize that you are the victim. Don’t apologize or try to say you aren’t hurt in order to make the other party feel more comfortable. Don’t feel bad about asking for insurance information. The other party may act scared or pushy, and that’s because they should be scared! They know you now have a legal right to file a claim.

• Exchange information. If you have been in a car accident, get the contact information and insurance information of all drivers involved. Get any truck driver’s CDL number and commercial liability policy number. If your accident happened on a piece of property, find out the true owner/manager immediately and get their property insurance information.

• Report and document the accident. Before you do anything else, consider calling 911 for a first responder. If you have been in a car accident, you are legally obligated to do so. If you are in any other sort of injury accident, still consider calling the police or paramedics. In any event, always file some sort of report, either with the police or with the company responsible for the premises. Write down your own narrative, too, before you forget what happened.

• Seek prompt medical attention. Never delay getting care! Also, investigate your medical condition even if you aren’t sure if you’re hurt. Having an exam right after the accident helps you begin treatment faster while connecting the injuries closer to the date of the incident.

• Watch what you say to insurers and other parties. In fact, try to avoid talking to them except when absolutely necessary. Definitely avoid providing any sort of recorded statement. When filing a report for an accident on property, be careful how you word it. Remember that you can always have an attorney review your communications and even defer to them entirely, helping you avoid stressful conversations altogether.

• Save all receipts and other important documents. Keep your medical discharge papers, billing information, prescriptions, etc. It’s better to keep something and not need it rather than need it and not have it! Your attorney can tell you what’s important later.

• Be timely about opening a claim. Remember that you don’t have to have 100% of the details yet. You can file a notice of a claim to avoid going over the insurer’s policy window. Reach out to an attorney ASAP to keep up with all of your obligations and ensure your claim remains valid.

• Know the true value of your case. You may end up having to settle for less than the full amount you know you deserve, but you should at least have a valid number in mind. Don’t let anyone talk you out of seeking the money you need!

Work With Personal Injury Lawyers in Greensboro Who Care Enough to FIGHT for You!

Tatum & Atkinson: The Heavy Hitters are serious about giving your claim a fighting chance. We aren’t intimidated by insurers, and we know the factors that can raise your case’s chances of success.

Act quickly to protect your legal rights, and start going after the money you need so you can have it sooner. Your medical and financial future depends on your ability to get an adequate settlement, and that’s why we’re here to legally spar with anyone who would stand in your way.

Find out how much your case could be worth — and take the first steps towards your full recovery — when you call 800-LAW-0804 or contact us online to schedule a free case review today!