Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers in Kinston, NC
Injured in a drunk driving accident in Kinston, North Carolina? A drunk driving accident lawyer at Riddle & Brantley can help you fight for the justice you deserve.
Nothing can make up for the injuries and other losses suffered in a drunk driving accident. But those injured by drunk drivers can recover significant damages for their injuries, wage loss, and pain and suffering — and a drunk driving accident lawyer can help.
Damages Available in Drunk Driving Accidents
If a drunk driver’s negligence resulted in your injury, you may be experiencing physical injury, emotional trauma, and financial hardship — and you may be entitled to damages in the form of a personal injury claim or lawsuit.
Potential damages available in a Kinston drunk driving accident claim include:
- Medical Bills — In most personal injury claims, damages are awarded to compensate the victim for medical expenses related to the accident, including ambulance costs, hospital bills, medications, doctors’ appointments, home medical care, surgeries, and more.
- Wage Loss — If you’ve been forced to take off work to treat your injuries, you may be entitled to compensation to make up for lost wages.
- Loss of Future Income — Compensation may also be available to compensate for future lost earnings if your drunk driving accident injuries prevent you from returning to work.
- Pain and Suffering — These “non-economic” losses include emotional trauma and loss of consortium (companionship and/or sexual relations with a spouse) resulting from the accident. Compensation may also be available for permanent scarring, as well.
We can meet with you by appointment at our convenient Kinston location, or serve you from anywhere by phone, email, text or video conference. We can even come to you directly if it’s more convenient.
Bilingual interpreters are available for the convenience of our Spanish-speaking clients, as well.
Proving Fault in Drunk Driving Accidents
Proving fault in a drunken driving accident is considerably less difficult than in most other cases, primarily because drunk driving is illegal in North Carolina and in most cases, drunk drivers who cause wrecks are charged with a crime.
However, criminal charges and convictions in drunk driving cases can go a long way to strengthen a personal injury claim. In many cases, a Goldsboro personal injury lawyer at Riddle & Brantley will attend hearings and trials on behalf of our clients in order to show support for their case and help ensure that justice is served.
Contributory Negligence
In some cases, a defendant and/or insurance company will use the “contributory negligence” defense to try and avoid liability in a Goldsboro drunk driving accident claim or lawsuit.
Contributory negligence is a rule in North Carolina that means that if you’re found to be even partially responsible for an accident, you can be barred from recovery. Our drunk driving car accident attorneys have decades of experience overcoming contributory negligence defenses, however, and we would love to help you however we can.
Gross Negligence
In some cases, a jury may determine that drunk driving constitutes “gross negligence.” Gross negligence means that a defendant demonstrated “willful or wonton” misconduct. In these rare cases, the jury may award punitive damages. Punitive damages are intended to “punish” the defendant to discourage them from similar behavior in the future.
A drunk driving accident lawyer can help determine whether punitive damages may be available in your specific case, and help chart the best legal path forward.
Award-Winning Kinston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
At Riddle & Brantley, our team is led by Kinston car accident attorney Gene Riddle, who has been serving the area for more than three decades. Since 1985, attorney Riddle has recovered millions of dollars in compensation for victims of others’ negligence, including many clients injured by drunk drivers (see disclaimer below).
Attorney Riddle has been recognized for his results with numerous awards and memberships, as well (see disclaimer below), including:
- Super Lawyers
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
- The National Association of Distinguished Counsel
- AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
Don’t wait — the longer you wait, the harder it may be to win your case and recover the compensation you need and deserve. Let a Kinston personal injury lawyer and our experienced investigators begin investigating your case and collecting evidence.
Justice Counts for those injured due to drunk drivers, and we’re ready to help however we can.
“I would recommend them to anyone. They fought hard for me.”
–Christine W., Riddle & Brantley client
*** Disclaimer: The results mentioned are intended to illustrate the type of cases handled by the firm. These results do not guarantee a similar outcome, and they should not be construed to constitute a promise or guarantee of a particular result in any particular case. Every case is different, and the outcome of any case depends upon a variety of factors unique to that case.
*** Disclaimer: An attorney must meet certain requirements to join these organizations or receive these awards. For more information on Membership Criteria for Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Super Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, The National Association of Distinguished Counsel, AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the Litigator Award, and other memberships, awards, and accolades, please visit our Membership Criteria page. These awards and memberships should not be construed as a promise or guarantee of a similar result. Each case is different and must be evaluated separately.