If you are involved in a car crash or automobile accident through no fault of your own, and you are injured, it is critical that you seek medical attention immediately. If emergency medical services are called to the scene, they can help you determine whether or not you need to be transported by an ambulance or if it would be safe for you to seek alternative transportation to the hospital. Many times, people can sustain injuries which are not immediately apparent and for which the symptoms may not occur until a later time. All reasonably necessary medical expenses for injuries caused by the accident should be covered by the insurance carrier for the person who caused the accident. In addition to paying for medical expenses, they can pay for any other expenses caused by the accident and for pain and suffering for injuries caused by the accident.

If it does not compromise your medical condition or your ability to seek medical attention for your injuries, taking pictures of the property damage at the scene and/or any injuries can help document the facts to help support your claim for monetary or money compensation. Anyone injured in an automobile accident which is not caused by their fault should consult with an attorney experienced in personal injury matters as soon as possible, as long as it does not delay seeking and obtaining reasonable medical attention.

Collins Law Firm regularly represents victims of car wrecks and helps maximize monetary or money damage recoveries for our clients. If you or someone you know and care about has been injured in a car wreck, please call Collins Law Firm at 910-793-9000 for a free consultation.

If you get a speeding ticket outside of North Carolina as a North Carolina licensed driver and just pay it off, it could cause your license here to be revoked.   Because of the Interstate Driver License Compact, the vast majority of states exchange information for moving convictions in motor vehicles.  If you get a speeding ticket in a member state for speeding more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, and the speed at which you are charged to have been speeding is 55 miles per hour or more, your license in North Carolina will very likely be revoked.   Similarly, if you are charged with speeding more than ten miles per hour over the speed limit in a 70 mile per hour zone or higher, your license in North Carolina will very likely be revoked.

Once the NC Department of Motor Vehicles gets notification of such a conviction, the NC licensed driver will be sent notification of the pending revocation and given notice of the right to have a hearing.  If the DMV hearing is not requested properly within the time frame allowed for such a request, the revocation will go into effect and it will no longer be possible to request a hearing.

If you have received such a notice, Collins Law Firm can help.   Give us a call at (910) 793-9000 to discuss the details.

We would like to offer some advice on what to do if you are stopped by a law enforcement officer while driving a motor vehicle.

If you are stopped by a law enforcement officer while driving, stop at the closest place where you can park and where it will be safe for the officer to approach your vehicle.  Then roll your window down, and put your hands on the steering wheel at the ten and two o’clock positions so the officer can see your hands.  This will help the officer see that you are unarmed and do not pose a threat.

You should always be polite and cooperative with law enforcement officers.  However, this does not mean that you must consent to a search or perform any roadside field sobriety tests if requested.  You also have a right to confer with an attorney even before your rights are read to you.

If you are suspected of impaired driving you may refuse the roadside field sobriety tests, but the refusal may be considered by a judge in a probable cause evaluation, though refusing the roadside tests will not cause a license revocation.  However, if you are placed under arrest for impaired driving and asked to submit to a chemical test of your breath or blood and refuse, your license can be revoked for that refusal.  The details of the revocations can be complicated.  For more information, call us any time.

Do not drive while impaired!  It is very dangerous and it is a very serious crime.  However, if you are stopped or arrested for impaired driving, you can call Collins Law Firm at (910) 793-9000 for legal advice and representation.