Where Do Car Accidents Occur in Goldsboro?

January 28, 2025 | By Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers
Where Do Car Accidents Occur in Goldsboro?

Intersections are the most common place where car accidents occur in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Several factors influence their occurrence, including distracted driving, drunk and drug-impaired driving, and poor road conditions. If you sustained injuries in a car accident occurring in Goldsboro or lost a loved one in a fatal collision, contact a reputable car accident lawyer immediately. They will advise you of your legal rights, including the right to financial compensation for injuries or wrongful death.

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Highways Where Car Accidents Occur in Goldsboro, NC

The Goldsboro highway project needs list describes I-70 as a dangerous highway where car accidents occur in Goldsboro. Ash Street has an exceptionally high collision frequency, especially between George Street and Herman Street.

U.S. 13 is another common location for car accidents in Goldsboro, with Berkeley Boulevard having one of the highest collision frequency rates. Berkley Boulevard has incredibly high traffic volumes and extremely poor pavement quality, particularly between Ash Street and Royall Avenue.

Intersections Where Car Accidents Occur in Goldsboro, NC

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) state figures confirm that 17 of Wayne County's top 20 intersections where accidents occur are in Goldsboro. Some of the worst intersections where accidents occur in Goldsboro are as follows:

  • U.S. 13 and North George Street
  • I-70 bypass and North Berkeley Boulevard
  • N.C. 581 and Pikeville-Princeton Road (Pikes Crossroads)
  • I- 70 East and Beston Road
  • U.S. 70 and Piney Grove Church
  • Royall Avenue and Sunburst Drive

The intersection of N.C. 111 at Daw Pate Road has a high collision count. There have been 13 in the past three years, resulting in 77 percent of crashes with injuries. If you sustained injuries after a car accident in Goldsboro, consult an experienced Goldsboro car accident attorney to discuss your right to recover compensation.

Causes of Car Accidents in Goldsboro 

Many factors contribute to car accidents but are generally due to driver negligence or wrongdoing. Drunk and impaired driving, including impairment caused by cannabis, over-the-counter and prescription medications, and being fatigued, are significant factors in dangerous and deadly collisions. Common causes of car accidents in Goldsboro include distracted driving, aggressive driving, construction zones, poor road conditions, and vehicle malfunctions.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents. It includes any activity that takes your focus off driving and places it on something else. Common examples of distracted driving that causes crashes are as follows:

  • Talking, texting, and scrolling social media
  • Using apps, including GPS and music streaming services
  • Adjusting car controls, such as stereo and climate
  • Tending to personal hygiene, like hair and makeup 
  • Eating, drinking, or smoking

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns drivers that texting is the most alarming distraction. A driver reading or sending a text diverts their eyes off the road for five seconds. While that may sound like it's not much time, at 55 mph, it's the equivalent of driving a football field with your eyes closed.

Aggressive Driving

Motorists who drive aggressively pose a serious threat to other drivers on the road. Types of aggressive driving that frequently contribute to car accidents in Goldsboro include:

  • Speeding, especially in congested traffic
  • Weaving in and out of lanes
  • Failing to use turn signals
  • Following too closely or tailgating
  • Blocking vehicles attempting to pass or change lanes
  • Ignoring traffic signals and road signage

Road rage is a serious, aggressive driving offense and can sometimes be a criminal offense. It ranges from excessively honking and yelling at a motorist to intentionally assaulting a driver with a vehicle or weapon on a roadway. If you're a victim of road rage, you'll want to speak to a car accident attorney immediately. They can best assess your legal needs and a need to punish the at-fault driver for a criminal offense.

Construction Zones

Construction zones are a common contributing factor to car accidents. They can be confusing to navigate, especially in bad weather conditions. Construction zones may also be inadequately marked, making road hazards and construction workers more challenging to see.

A construction zone without proper signage, traffic control, and barriers can lead to a car accident. Your attorney will investigate the construction company or contractor in these circumstances. They'll negotiate with their insurance companies to secure a settlement if they're liable.

Poor Road Conditions

If a poor road condition contributes to your auto collision in Goldsboro, your car accident lawyer will investigate the possibility of liable municipalities. Standard road conditions that cause crashes include poor pavement quality (potholes, cracks), faded markings, inadequate lighting, improper drainage causing standing water, uneven pavement, malfunctioning traffic lights, broken or missing signs, and dangerous intersections.

Vehicle Malfunctions

Vehicle malfunctions are a less common cause of crashes but are responsible for causing around two percent of car accidents. Of those collisions, 35 percent are from tire defects, 22 percent are from brake defects, and other parts constitute the remaining 43 percent. When vehicle malfunctions are responsible for causing a collision, your car accident attorney will determine whether the vehicle or parts manufacturers are liable for your damages.

What to Do After a Car Accident Occurs in Goldsboro

Car accident victims need to take specific precautions and measures after their collision to ensure their health and protect their legal rights. Parties must prioritize medical attention, follow recovery treatment plans, document pain and suffering, and hire a car accident attorney.

Seek Medical Attention

First and foremost, you must get medical attention to assess and address injuries immediately—regardless of whether you believe you suffered an injury. Adrenaline can be deceiving and mask symptoms of pain and injury. Hidden injuries, such as serious internal injuries, may become fatal if left undiagnosed and untreated.

A doctor will provide a thorough medical evaluation, assessing all injuries before ordering necessary tests and imaging to diagnose, treat, and prescribe further treatments. Injuries like whiplash and concussion can take several days to impact a victim.

However, for legal purposes, it doesn't look good when accident victims delay medical evaluation and treatment. Don't wait for symptoms to arise before being evaluated. It's the best decision for your health and from a legal perspective after a car accident.

Follow Your Medical Recovery Plan

When your doctor prescribes treatments, you must follow the treatment plan. Make appointments for any referrals to specialists and rehabilitation professionals. You have three years from the accident date to hit your medical maximum improvement (MMI) and settle your claim in North Carolina. Your MMI is when you have hit your treatment plateau, meaning your condition has reached a point where it can no longer improve.

While three years may sound like a lot of time, it's not when dealing with severe injuries, lengthy treatment, and disability. It also doesn't look good to liable insurers if an injured party misses or cancels appointments regularly. Follow your medical recovery care plan.

Document Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering is an intangible loss that can be more challenging to prove. Your car accident attorney will have you document your pain and suffering in a journal to have a tangible piece of evidence. The symptoms and circumstances you should detail include:

  • Physical pain levels on a scale of 1-10
  • The time, date, duration, location, and frequency of physical pain
  • Daily tasks or work-related activities that worsen pain
  • Limitations on activities due to injuries
  • Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or post-accident depression
  • Episodes of induced fear relating to Vehophobia—fear of driving that develops after an auto collision

You should keep consistent entries that provide as much detail as possible to paint a clear picture of your pain and suffering. Your lawyer will also use your detailed medical records and physician notes to document the injury's impact on life and obtain expert witness testimony from relevant professionals to strengthen your pain and suffering evidence.

Hire a Car Accident Lawyer

Injured parties and families who lost loved ones due to car accidents should never navigate the car accident claims process alone. Accident victims with legal representation consistently receive much larger settlements than those who file without attorneys. Most car accident lawyers work for contingency. It costs nothing upfront to hire them, and they only get paid if you do. That makes hiring the right one to represent your legal interests a no-brainer.

Why You Need a Car Accident Lawyer in Goldsboro

Understanding insurance claims processes can be challenging, especially when you're already managing medical appointments. You need a car accident attorney to take over those burdens so that you prioritize your recovery. It is your top to do. A car accident attorney will provide a thorough case investigation, comprehensive case valuation of damages, and handle negotiations with liable insurance companies.

Thorough Case Investigation

The length of your car accident investigation largely depends on the severity of your injuries, the length of your medical treatment, and your pain and suffering. Auto accident lawyers investigate collisions by doing the following:

  • Gathering Evidence: Evidence is crucial to your car accident claim, proving negligence, establishing liability, and a need to compensate for damages. Solid evidence includes the police report, photos documenting the accident scene and your injuries, video footage of the collision, relevant vehicle debris, driver's cell phone records at the time of the collision, medical records, and documents demonstrating financial losses, like medical bills.
  • Interviewing Eyewitnesses: Witness testimony is invaluable to proving negligence in a motor vehicle collision. Your attorney will review the police report for witness statements and contact info before reaching out to verify statements and gather new information pertinent to your case.
  • Consulting Expert Witnesses: Your attorney has a network of experts they may consult, including medical professionals, economists, life planners, and highway safety and vehicle safety experts. Expert testimony is also valuable for establishing liability, the extent of injuries, long-term care needs, and damages. 
  • Reconstructing Accidents: Accident reconstruction is a significant help in pinpointing negligence and cementing liability. Attorneys work with reconstructionists who use computer simulations, 3D animation, and 3D models to recreate your accident scene. This type of evidence is critical to showing insurance companies, judges, and juries the sequence of events that caused your accident, resulting in your injuries and damages. 

The stronger the evidence in your case, the better your chance of proving liability and maximizing your compensation.

Comprehensive Case Valuation of Damages

Recovering compensation for your economic losses and pain and suffering requires a comprehensive case valuation of damages. Your lawyer will assess all areas where financial losses occurred and determine the value of your pain and suffering. Standard damages in car accident claims are as follows:

  • All healthcare expenses, including future medical costs
  • All lost income, including salary, wages, bonuses, and benefits
  • Vehicle-related costs, including repairs, replacement, rental cars, and rideshare services
  • Property damages
  • Chronic pain and life-long management
  • Mental anguish and suffering
  • Permanent disability, disfigurement, and scarring
  • Loss of companionship and society
  • Wrongful death

To ensure their calculations, provide your car accident lawyer with financial documents demonstrating losses, such as vehicle-repair invoices, medical bills, copay receipts, and other out-of-pocket costs. You’ll eventually provide them with your dated, detailed pain and suffering journal to prove those damages.

Handle Negotiations With Liable Insurance Companies

You'll want an experienced attorney to handle negotiations with liable insurance companies. Insurers notoriously send lowball offers to legally unrepresented accident victims, knowing they usually won't negotiate and will accept them. You should never accept the first offer. It's how their companies maximize profits and keep losses minimal.

However, injured parties with legal counsel receive substantially higher settlements because attorneys are skilled negotiators who hone their skills daily. Negotiations may engage multiple counteroffers before all liable parties are happy. Your attorney will always discuss settlement offers with you. You decide on whether to accept or reject an offer. They advise you before confirming your decision.

Once you accept a settlement offer, the insurer issues your attorney a check. This isn't an immediate process. However, your lawyer will ensure they don't drag their feet too long. Your attorney will collect their contingency fee and issue you a final settlement check. If healthcare providers have medical liens against your settlement, your attorney will negotiate those bills to lower costs, pay the liens, and then issue your settlement check.

Schedule a Free Consultation With a Reputable Car Accident Attorney in Goldsboro

Speak to a knowledgeable and experienced car accident attorney after seeking medical attention for your injuries. You'll want to protect your legal rights and exercise your right to recover financial compensation for your losses and damages. Schedule a free consultation.

Schedule A Free Consultation