If you’re in a car accident in North Carolina, there’s no fixed amount you can ask for when suing someone. It all depends on what happened to you and how it affected your life.
You can seek compensation for your actual costs. This includes your doctor bills (both ones you’ve already paid and future treatments), money you couldn’t earn because you missed work or can’t work like before, fixing or replacing your car, and any therapy or rehabilitation expenses. You’ll need receipts, bills, and similar paperwork to prove these amounts.
Your physical pain, mental suffering, reduced quality of life, and any lasting injuries or scars should be covered by compensation. There is no generally accepted formula for calculating the cost of these consequences. It depends on the severity of the accident and its impact on your daily life.
Where the other driver was highly reckless (think driving drunk or deliberately trying to cause harm), you might receive additional punishment-based compensation. However, North Carolina law restricts this to three times your actual damages or $250,000, whichever is higher.
Be aware: North Carolina has a strict rule called “contributory negligence.” You cannot collect any money if you were even slightly responsible for the accident – just 1% at fault. The other party must be entirely responsible for what happened since North Carolina is one of the few states with this harsh standard.
