Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog

Number of North Carolina Workplace Injuries Declines

October 6, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What qualifies a person to receive Workers’ Compensation benefits?”

Statistics gathered by the Southeast regional office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics indicate that workplaces in North Carolina are getting safer, albeit slowly. The numbers indicate that a smaller percentage of workers faced injuries, severe or otherwise, in 2013 than in previous years. Though the numbers are hardly an astounding success, they do indicate that things are improving for workers in North Carolina, something worth celebrating.

Judges order new trial in KFC slip-and-fall case

September 29, 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?”

A recent slip-and-fall case out of New Jersey managed to grab the attention of the state Supreme Court. The New Jersey High Court ruled unanimously on Monday that instructions to the jury in a lower court personal injury case were flawed and that this prejudiced the result, leading the Court to order a new trial.

How North Carolina dog bite laws affect liability

September 24, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What does the “one-bite rule” mean in NC dog bite cases?”

On May 18, 2015, a four-year-old Conover boy was bitten by his grandparents’ German Shepard. The dog was a trained guard dog who only listened to the command of the child’s grandmother. Unfortunately, the child’s grandmother was in the house at the time of the attack.

Premises Liability in North Carolina

September 22, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What does the “one-bite rule” mean in NC dog bite cases?”

I recently came across an article listing some of the most common examples of personal injury claims. As you might expect, the list began with car accidents, an incredibly common source of personal injury cases in North Carolina and elsewhere. The sheer number of vehicles on the road all but guarantees a constant supply of new automobile injury cases. Another category on the list that is less well understood concerns premises liability. Though few people know the phrase, premises liability is an important concept that touches on a wide range of injuries and represents a sizable chunk of personal injury cases. To learn more about premises liability in North Carolina, keep reading.

New Trend In Personal Injury Law: Police Misconduct Cases

September 15, 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?”

With stories like those of Walter Scott in South Carolina or Eric Garner in New York City getting so much attention, experts say that it was only a matter of time before attorneys got in on the cases. As the public’s attention has turned to incident of police brutality and governments appear to acknowledge the problem with record-setting payouts, lawyers, especially those previously limiting their work to personal injury matters, have begun accepting police misconduct cases.

Can you get in trouble for texting someone who is driving?

September 8, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What is partial versus total disability, and temporary versus permanent disability?”

The dangers of distracted driving are well known at this point. Commercials and public safety ads have repeated over and over how much texting can increase a person’s risk of being involved in a deadly car accident. Despite the apparent danger, millions of people continue to text behind the wheel every day, with alarming percentages of motorists admitting to reading and responding to text messages while driving.

Lawsuit accuses two Chapel Hill bars of negligence in I-85 crash involving underage UNC student

September 4, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer Matt Arnold answers the question “What if the accident was my fault?”

Lawyers representing the victims of a fatal crash on I-85 near Chapel Hill have added two businesses as named defendants to their lawsuit. The crash occurred when a 20-year-old UNC student, Chandler Kania, collided head on with a vehicle on I-85 while traveling in the wrong direction on the interstate. The crash occurred at 3:00 a.m., killing three and leaving a nine-year-old girl as the only survivor in the victims’ car.

Can a Fitbit impact your personal injury case?

September 2, 2015 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers: What is partial, total, temporary, and permanent disability?

Americans have become very interested in wearable technology. Between the Apple iWatch, Garmin watches and gadgets, Nike exercise trackers and the incredibly popular Fitbit’s range of products, there is no shortage of options. These can be important motivators to exercise more, demonstrating in stark numbers your daily movement (or lack thereof). Though everyone understands that Fitbit’s and other wearable technology can be used for personal motivation, few people are aware of another new and potentially important use: evidence in a personal injury case.

Government pays out millions for vaccine-related injuries

August 25, 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?”

Experts say that a government program designed to compensate those injured from receiving vaccinations has recently made a shift by recognizing harms associated with the way the vaccines were administered, not just compensating victims for the content of the vaccines themselves. Chief among these conditions is something known as SIRVA, or “shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.” The shift isn’t a small one, since 2011, the fund has paid out more than $18 million to 112 SIRVA victims.

How the “baseball rule” can impact your personal injury case

August 18, 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?”

A recent article out of St. Louis discussed a woman who was injured by a flying object and has now sued the restaurant where she suffered her injury. The woman complains of seemingly serious injuries, yet many experts believe her case is likely to be tossed out of court. The reason has to do with something referred to as the “baseball rule” and can have an important impact on personal injury cases. To find out more, keep reading.