Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog

What to know about Uber and Lyft driver liability

November 19, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”

Were you, or someone you know, in an accident that involved an Uber driver over Halloween? Ride sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft are extremely popular on holidays like Halloween and New Year’s Eve. These companies offer an effective and safe way to get home after a fun night out with friends. But what happens if you are in an accident while utilizing one of these ride-sharing services? What happens if you are in an accident while driving your own vehicle, but the accident is the fault of the Uber driver? Does it matter if the Uber driver is driving her car for personal or business reasons? These issues have been rapidly evolving in the insurance/legal world, but are still largely unknown to the general public.

Report Reveals Vehicles Most Commonly Involved In Personal Injury Claims

November 17, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I trust the insurance adjuster?”

Anyone who has been driving for long knows that an accident can happen to anyone. There’s no way to predict when another driver may make a careless mistake or lose focus on the road, leading to a car crash. Though it’s true that you can’t predict when or where an accident will occur, recently released data does reveal which vehicles are most likely to be involved in personal injury claims.

Seat Belts May Soon Appear On A School Bus Near You

November 10, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”

It’s a question that many people, especially parents, have long wondered: Why don’t school buses come with seat belts? Everyone knows that seat belts save lives and states have long passed and enforced strict laws that require occupants of passenger vehicles to wear seat belts. So why has the rule not been extended to school buses, a mode of transit designed to ferry some of our most precious cargo? There have long been several reasons advanced by opponents, including cost, but these may no longer matter, as the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has come out in favor of installing seat belts on school buses.

Pot and Product Liability Claims

November 3, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”

Until a few years ago it would have been impossible to imagine that pot smokers could have a legitimate basis to file a product liability lawsuit against the person selling them the drugs. Before Washington and Colorado led the way, this would’ve meant a drug user would be suing a drug dealer for failing to warn of harms associated with an illegal substance. Not anymore. Now that the marijuana business is legal in some states, it will have to contend with problems that bedevil those in every other industry, including product liability lawsuits.

Professional tennis player suing USTA for negligence after slip and fall at U.S. Open

October 29, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”

Last year, Canadian-born tennis player Eugenie Bouchard was the sport’s next big star. The 21-year-old reached the final of Wimbledon and the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open. Her ranking peaked at No. 5 in the world. Today, however, Bouchard can’t step foot on a tennis court, and a recent suit suggests that negligence on behalf of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is to blame.

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to sue over it…

October 27, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”

With the recent landfall of Hurricane Patricia in Mexico and the ensuing rains and storms across the United States, it may be useful to brush up on liability associated with falling trees. It’s something that rarely crosses most people’s minds until it’s too late. When a tree falls and injures another person or their property, it can come as a costly surprise to everyone. To find out what happens when a tree falls in North Carolina, keep reading.

More Than A Dozen People Die Due To Keyless Ignition Systems

October 22, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”

Automakers continue to incorporate newer and more sophisticated technology into vehicles, the goal being to make driving easier. Though some of the changes are certainly beneficial (better seatbelts, safer airbags, blind spot warning technology, etc.) others can have serious consequences if used incorrectly. One seemingly benign advancement which has proven to be deadly in some particularly tragic circumstances is the keyless ignition system that now appears in the vast majority of new vehicles.

Reminded of 2013 accident, inspectors working around the clock to ensure safety of 2015 fairgoers

October 20, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”

Many still remember the terrible accident at the North Carolina State Fair in 2013 that left several people hospitalized for weeks. However, the Wake County District Attorney’s Office determined that the ride’s malfunction was no accident at all. The ride, known as the “Vortex”, malfunctioned and severely injured several individuals at the NC State Fair two years ago. The State determined that the owner of the ride, with the help of his employee, had bypassed certain safety mechanisms on the ride, allowing the ride to operate without the safety bars in place. Because of their actions, the State determined that the parties should be held criminally liable.

What is a loss of consortium claim?

October 13, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”

Anyone who has had a loved one seriously injured in a North Carolina personal injury accident understands that the victim is not the only person impacted. Instead, accidents have a ripple effect, impacting family members and loved ones who must cope with the emotional injuries associated with serious accidents. There’s a term for this harm: loss of consortium. To learn more about loss of consortium and how it works in the context of a North Carolina personal injury case, keep reading.

Daughter of actor Paul Walker sues Porsche over father’s death

October 8, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

It has been nearly two years since the untimely death of actor Paul Walker. Best known for his role as Brian O’Conner in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, Walker was killed in a car crash in Santa Clarita, California in November 2013.