If you were recently injured in an accident, you’re likely concerned about how much your recovery is going to cost. Depending on the nature of your injuries, you may be forced to take time off of work to heal and you may have significant medical bills starting to pile up.
There is no question that injurious motor vehicle accidents can result in a great deal of financial harm. As a result, it is important to seek compensation if another party owes you restitution. But because of the way in which North Carolina approaches the rights of injury victims, seeking rightful restitution isn’t always as straightforward as it arguably should be.
Pure contributory negligence
North Carolina observes a legal standard known as “pure contributory negligence” in personal injury cases. This standard makes it difficult for injury victims to seek compensation if there is any question of whether they are partially to blame for their own circumstances.
Don’t jump to conclusions
If your stomach is sinking because you either know or suspect that your actions contributed to the cause(s) of your crash, don’t lose heart yet. It is important to refrain from jumping to any conclusions about your case until it has been thoroughly investigated by an objective professional. You won’t know if your suspicions are valid – at least with any certainty – until an investigation is complete.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the burden of proof in pure contributory negligence scenarios is on the defendant. This means that you don’t need to offer your suspicions to the court. If the defendant named in your case tries to assert that you’re partially to blame for what happened, they’ll have to provide sufficient proof to be successful in this effort.
Even if you suspect that you may have a hard time seeking compensation for your injuries in North Carolina, you still have good reason to have hope.
