Personal Injury Litigation

Car accidents. Tractor-trailer wrecks. Medical negligence. Defective products. Dangerous premises. Wrongful death.

Personal injury claims come in a wide variety of forms, but they all have one thing in common: one party’s negligence leaves a human being and their family to deal with severe injuries, stacks of medical bills, and deep concerns about the future.

At Blanchard, Miller, Lewis & Isley, P.A., we are committed to helping injured people and their families ease these concerns by building a strong case that establishes the full extent of their losses and holds negligent persons or companies accountable for the harm they have caused.

At BMLI, our attorneys work together closely to pursue the best possible result for our clients. We are selective about the cases we take, and generally handle a low volume of matters involving more serious injuries and damages. We do not use an assembly line approach to litigating personal injury cases. We believe each client has a unique story, and that damages resulting from an injury can only be fully understood in the context of that story.

When you pursue a personal injury claim, you get only one chance to establish the extent of the harm done and of your current and future needs. We seize this chance by handling your case with trial in mind. We find that when we prepare for trial from day one, our work gathering evidence, talking to witnesses, and analyzing legal issues comes into clear focus. Our preparation is better, and so our settlement negotiations on your behalf are more effective – and we are ready to tell your story before a judge and jury if needed.

Types of Personal Injury Claims

Personal injury claims are frequently classified by the situation that led to the injury. Common injuries in these lawsuits include, but are not limited to, brain and spinal cord trauma, broken bones, organ and tissue damage, burns, scars, and severe emotional trauma.

Types of personal injury claims our law firm handles include:

Traffic collisions. These include not only catastrophic car or truck crashes, but also accidents in which a bicyclist, motorcyclist, or pedestrian was harmed by a distracted, drunk, or otherwise negligent driver. Negligently maintained roadways, defective vehicles, and malfunctioning street signals can also cause serious accidents.
Medical negligence. Hospital errors, medication mistakes, and surgical errors or failures all fall under this category. Medical negligence occurs when the medical treatment the patient receives falls below the standard of care for that treatment and condition – and the patient suffers harm as a result.
Products liability. Defects in product manufacturing, design, or warnings can cause serious harm before the product’s user even realizes there is a danger. Our products liability experience covers defective products as diverse as automobiles, nail guns, prescription drugs, diet supplements, garden tractors, and others.
Wrongful death. When a serious injury claims a life, the injured person’s family may seek compensation for their untimely loss from the at-fault party. This compensation can do much to reduce the uncertainty of your family’s financial health after the unexpected loss of a loved one.

Although these are the most common claims we see, we also handle personal injury claims that do not fit into these categories. You are welcome to contact us if you have been seriously injured and you believe someone else’s negligence is to blame.

What to Do If You’ve Been Injured by Another’s Negligence

If you’ve been injured, you may have endless questions. What happened? Who was responsible? Am I going to heal? How will we pay the bills? When can I go back to work – if ever?

Your attorney can help you answer these questions. You can begin to protect yourself and your family by taking the following steps:

Keep information about your accident and injury in a safe place.
Make copies of any accident reports, workers’ compensation or other benefits paperwork, medical records, bills and invoices, and other information related to your accident and injury. Store these copies in a safe place, and add to them as you gather more information. This will help you keep track of the paperwork piling up, and make it easier to grab essential documents when you need them.
Review your insurance options.
If you were injured in a car accident, you may be able to seek coverage from your auto insurance or that of a family member, even if you were not driving or occupying a vehicle at the time. In a hit and run, your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may provide assistance even if police cannot locate the driver. Workplace injuries may be covered by workers’ compensation. Injuries that occur on someone else’s property may be covered by homeowners’ insurance or general liability insurance.
But don’t commit to a settlement yet.
Instead, speak to a lawyer before you agree to sign anything or to negotiate with the insurance company. Although many insurance adjusters seem like friendly people, their responsibility is to look out for the interests of the insurance company, not to provide you with the full and fair settlement you need to address both your current bills and your future needs.
Speak to an experienced lawyer.
Choose an attorney with whom you feel comfortable and who believes that your case can be won. Your lawyer will give you specific advice and instructions tailored to your situation, look into any issues that need investigation, and build a case on your behalf. While choosing your attorney, think about your goals in the case. What is your ideal result? What results seem like fair and reasonable outcomes to you, even if they are not ideal? What result will you refuse to accept? Having a clear picture of your goals helps both you and your lawyer to reach them.

To discuss your case with our team, call us today, or contact our Raleigh office via email.