Durham Car Accident Lawyer

A car accident can affect even the most seasoned driver, especially if it leaves you with serious injuries and major property damage. From I-85 to Cornwallis Road, an experienced Durham car accident lawyer can estimate the value of your case. When you hire the Law Office of Jacob Goad, we can work hard to maximize your personal injury accident recovery.

About Us

I am Jacob Goad, the founder of the Law Office of Jacob Goad. After graduating from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill and law school at North Carolina Central University, I have represented many Durham locals and people in our surrounding communities.

I work tirelessly to get local Durham residents what they need to move forward after a serious auto collision. From Hayti District to Southpoint, my team doesn’t rest until we’ve secured the maximum amount possible for your accident’s financial recovery.

I serve on the Board of the Hispanic Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. I speak fluent Spanish and provide exceptional legal representation in Spanish.

What Should I Do After A Car Accident?

It is not easy to think clearly after a serious crash. If you can follow these steps, filing an insurance claim or pursuing an injury lawsuit should be much easier. You should:

• Seek medical attention immediately. Call an ambulance, if necessary.
• Contact the police to have them write a report. Even if you are an undocumented immigrant, this is a crucial step. Police officers do not have the right to get information about your immigration status at the scene of an accident. By reporting your accident, you do not have to fear arrest or deportation.
• Take pictures of the accident scene. If you do not have a camera, write down anything important that you notice.
• Get the name and information of the other driver and any witnesses.
• Do not speak with any insurance company representatives. Instead, contact an attorney.
• Even if your accident happened weeks or months ago, you might still have an actionable claim. Follow whichever steps you can; most importantly, speak with a lawyer.

What Kinds of Car Accidents Happen Locally?

An attorney can represent you in the following car accident cases:

• Rear-end collisions
• Head-on impacts
• Rollover accidents
• Side-impact accidents
• Sideswipe wrecks
• T-bone collisions
• Intersection accidents
• Backing-up collisions
• Blind spot accidents
• Merging crashes
• Distracted driver accidents
• Elderly driver incidents
• Multi-car accidents
• Fatal accidents

2023 saw around 2.44 million people injured in car crashes throughout this country. Across North Carolina, the Tar Heel State recorded 8,079 accident-related fatalities the same year. In our opinion, this is far too many families impacted by serious car wrecks. If you want justice after a major car accident on behalf of yourself or a family member, reach out to an attorney in Durham.

What Are Some Durham Crash Hotspots?

When accidents are more likely to happen in a certain area, it’s considered a crash hotspot. In Durham, the following are known hotspots for catastrophic accidents:

• I-85 at U.S. 15
• I-40
• S. 15-501
• NC Highway 147 at Hopson Road
• NC Highway 55 at Cornwallis Road
• NC Highway 98, especially at Lynn Road and Adams Street
• South Roxboro Street at Morehead Avenue
• North Roxboro Street at Horton Road

These areas see significant crash activity due to high traffic volumes, merging drivers, and driver behavior. Also, frequent crashes occur because of high travel speeds and inexperienced drivers, especially near UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. If you’re traveling through these areas, make sure you exercise caution.

What Injuries Could Potentially Happen?

Car accidents can leave those lucky enough to survive with severe and catastrophic injuries. You may need help recovering financially from:

• Severe forms of head, neck, and spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Paralysis
• Internal injuries
• Severe fractures
• Major burns
• Amputations
• Chest injuries

This is not a complete list. You may need future medical care, which you shouldn’t have to pay for yourself, especially if you need additional surgeries as part of your recovery. It’s worth discussing your specific injuries with a Durham car accident attorney. They can calculate the full value of your car accident claim by using the state’s car accident laws.

What Costs Should Insurance Cover?

You can expect insurance providers to pay for damages such as:

• Hospital stays
• Doctor appointments
• Prescription medications
• Rehabilitative therapy
• Automotive repairs
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning potential
• Funeral costs, loss of companionship and consortium if an accident killed your loved one
• Pain and suffering

In North Carolina, insurance companies can refuse to pay claims if you have any fault in an accident – even if the other driver was more at fault.

How Do Insurance Companies Avoid Paying Claims?

Although insurers are supposed to help you, they do not always want to. Like for-profit corporations, they have only one goal in mind: making money. Their representatives will try to contact you as soon as they can after a crash. They have ways of getting you to admit liability, even if the fault actually lies 100% with the other driver.

Insurance companies also try to make claims go away by offering you a settlement that is much lower than what you need and deserve. You should never accept a settlement until you have had a lawyer review it first.

Car Accidents And Wrongful Death

Nothing can compare to the pain of losing someone you love in a crash. In North Carolina, you have up to two years to file a wrongful death lawsuit to recover compensation for damages such as:

• Hospital costs resulting from your loved one’s accident
• Funeral costs
• Burial costs
• Loss of income
• Loss of services
• Loss of companionship
• Pain and suffering

The personal representative of the deceased person must file the lawsuit. If the decedent did not name a personal representative, the court will appoint one.

What Should I Do If I Suffered A Car Accident At Work?

Many jobs require that you drive a vehicle to perform your job duties. If you had a car crash on the job, this is what you should do:

• Seek medical attention immediately, even if it means leaving work in the middle of the day.
• Call the police so that they can file a report.
• Take the name and information of the other driver and any witnesses.
• Take pictures of the accident scene for documentation.
• Report the accident to your supervisor.
• Do not speak with any insurance company employees.
• Contact a workers’ compensation lawyer.

You might have the right to recover damages from a personal injury lawsuit in addition to your workers’ comp benefits.

Hire a Car Accident Lawyer at the Law Office of Jacob Goad Today

A devastating car accident can happen to anyone. You face many challenges on the road to recovering the compensation you deserve. When you need legal help, you can rely on the Law Office of Jacob Goad.

From Chapel Hill to Southpoint, we’re devoted to recovering compensation for the people of North Carolina, which can help them put their lives back together after suffering accidents and injuries. To us, you are more than a case number – you are a member of our community, and we care about giving you quality representation. You might feel overwhelmed, but you are not alone. I am ready to help you through every step of the claims process.