Winston-Salem Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Reviews & Testimonials

Why Catastrophic Injury Cases Are Different

A broken bone that heals in a few months is valued differently than an injury that will require ongoing medical care and therapy for decades to come. In a serious injury cae, the at-fault driver owes for all medical care needed for the rest of your life.  They also should pay generously for future pain and suffering.  

Catastrophic injury cases require a great deal of focus when gathering and interpreting all medical records, and when building proper medical evidence.  This is the key to securing maximum compensation.  Our legal team works closely with treating physicians and, when needed, outside medical experts to project future medical needs, lost earning capacity, and the true lifetime cost of your injuries.

Carl Nagle is a former adjuster and former insurance defense lawyers.  He knows that iInsurance companies fight hardest on the largest cases, and they often try to undervalue future medical costs or argue that a client can return to work sooner than the medical evidence supports. Building a strong catastrophic injury claim takes time, patience, and a firm willing to prepare every case as though it is going to trial.  This momentum results in higher tax-free compensation for the victim facing serious injuries and ongoing losses.

North Carolina Law and Catastrophic Injury Claims

North Carolina follows a contributory negligence rule, meaning that if you are found even slightly at fault for the crash (even just 1%), you can be barred from recovering anything. Insurance adjusters know this and often look for any argument that shifts even a small amount of blame onto the injured person. This harsh law makes it especially important to have an experienced lawyer involved early, before you give a recorded statement to any insurance company.

Injury claim lawsuits in North Carolina generally must be filed within three years of the crash. Waiting too long, or waiting until you fully understand the extent of a serious injury, can put your claim at risk.  Also, early action is the best way to build the most valuable legal case.  It is always best to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible after a catastrophic crash.  Even if you choose not to hire a lawyer, the free consultation will educate you on how to protect and enforce your legal rights.

What Compensation Can You Recover

A catastrophic injury claim in North Carolina should include compensation for medical expenses already incurred, future medical needs based on admissible medical evidence, lost wages, lost future earning capacity, lost work life expectancy, and generous tax-free payment for pain, suffering, permanency of injury, scarring or disfigurement, and loss of quality of life. 

Due to our success in large-loss cases, we offer NC’s most favorable legal fee for our clients.  Our fee is 25 percent of any settlement, well below the 33.3 percent that most personal injury firms charge.  Carl Nagle set our fee there deliberately. When a recovery has to cover decades of medical care, every percentage point taken off the top is care our client does not receive. We also advance all case costs on your behalf, including the life care planners, medical experts, and economists a catastrophic claim requires. Those costs come out of the recovery at the end of the case, and we only invest in evidence we know will vastly increase the value of your catastrophic injury case.  

What to Do After a Catastrophic Injury Crash

1. Focus on medical care first. Follow every recommendation from your treating physicians, even if recovery takes longer than expected.  Also, be thorough and report all symptoms to your doctors.  This ensures that all injuries are diagnosed early, and that you receive full and proper medical treatment.
2. Do not rush into a settlement before your medical picture, including any long-term needs, is fully understood.
3. Keep records of every medical visit, therapy session, and expense connected to the injury.  Your lawyer will do this for you if you retain counsel.
4. Avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with a lawyer.  Adjusters are only looking for a reason to deny your claims.
5. Contact our office for a free consultation so we can begin protecting your rights while you focus on recovery.

Why a Focused, Experienced Firm Matters in a Catastrophic Case

Catastrophic injury claims are not a good place to work with a general practice attorney who handles a little bit of everything. Because our firm only accepts motor vehicle accident cases, and because founder Carl Nagle is a former insurance claims adjuster and former insurance defense attorney, our team understands exactly how insurance adjusters evaluate and try to minimize large claims. We also have two retired NC State Troopers and three licensed NC claims adjusters on our team to help build the strongest and most valuable legal case.  You can read more about our experience on our Meet Carl Nagle page and our Why Choose Us page, or see our full overview of catastrophic injury cases across North Carolina.

Results and Client Reviews

Our firm has recovered settlements ranging from hundreds of thousands to well over $10 million for individual clients across North Carolina. To date we have collected over $850 million for NC crash victims, and this is only roadway accident cases.  You can review examples on our results page, and read what past clients have said about working with our firm on our testimonials page.