If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, Galbavy Law will fight to protect your rights and secure fair compensation. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
At Galbavy Law, we understand how quickly a car accident can turn your life upside down. One moment, you are on your way to work in rush hour traffic on I-85 near Charlotte, and the next, you are left reeling, with serious injuries, mounting bills, and questions you never thought you would have to ask. The aftermath of a crash can be overwhelming, but you don't have to face it alone.
David Galbavy, Esq., has dedicated his career to representing injured North Carolinians. As a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation and a former insurance defense attorney, he brings a unique perspective to every case. He knows how insurers think, how they evaluate claims, and how they try to deny or minimize recovery. That knowledge is now used to protect our clients.
Over the years, our firm has recovered more than $25 million for individuals across Charlotte, Hickory, Greensboro, Asheville, and communities statewide. Many of these cases involved serious orthopedic injuries, surgeries, and permanent impairments. These are the kinds of injuries that change lives forever, and they deserve to be taken seriously.
North Carolina law presents an additional challenge for car accident victims. Our state follows the contributory negligence rule, which means that if you are found even one percent at fault for the crash, you may be barred from recovering any compensation.
You can read more about how contributory negligence applies under North Carolina’s traffic laws in Chapter 20 of the NC General Statutes (Motor Vehicles) through the NC General Assembly. Insurance companies are aware of this and utilize it aggressively. Having an experienced North Carolina car accident lawyer by your side can make the difference between a denied claim and a successful recovery.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a collision, call Galbavy Law today. We are here to fight for you, protect your rights, and help you move forward.
Car accident victims in North Carolina have necessary legal rights, but exercising those rights can be complex. The law allows you to pursue compensation for medical bills, lost income, property damage, and the pain you are forced to endure. However, due to North Carolina’s strict contributory negligence rule, recovering those damages can be challenging without the assistance of legal representation.
Under contributory negligence, even the slightest degree of fault can prevent you from receiving compensation. If an insurance company convinces a jury that you were one percent responsible for the crash, your case may be denied entirely. This could be something as minor as being a few miles over the speed limit when another driver ran a red light. Because the law is so unforgiving, building a strong case that proves the other party’s responsibility is critical.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation regularly publishes crash statistics that highlight the frequency and severity of accidents across the state.
A skilled auto accident attorney protects your rights by gathering evidence quickly and effectively. This may include police reports, witness testimony, dashcam footage, and medical records that document the severity of your injuries. In severe crashes involving orthopedic injuries, it is especially important to establish the link between the accident and the medical treatment you require, including surgeries, rehabilitation, and long-term care.
You can request official accident reports through the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles records and divisions section if your crash was investigated by law enforcement. If you need help obtaining your report, call our office and we’ll request it for you.
Your rights also include recovering the full value of your damages, not just the immediate bills. Many clients are entitled to compensation for permanent impairment, scarring, future medical care, and the emotional toll of being unable to live life as they did before the accident, which is often referred to as pain and suffering. Whether your collision happened on a busy intersection in Hickory, on an interstate in Charlotte, or on a winding road outside of Asheville, you deserve to have your rights fully protected.
Car accidents can occur anywhere, but in NC, specific patterns and conditions make crashes more common in particular areas. From congested highways to rural backroads, the risks are present across the state. Understanding the causes not only helps explain why accidents occur but also shows how insurance companies may try to shift blame under our strict contributory negligence system.
One of the leading causes of accidents across North Carolina and throughout the country is distracted driving. Cell phone use, adjusting GPS, or even eating behind the wheel can lead to devastating crashes. On I-77 and I-85, where traffic moves quickly and lanes are crowded, just a moment of distraction can result in multi-car collisions. Distracted drivers pose a serious risk to pedestrians and cyclists, who often suffer the most severe injuries in these crashes.
Speeding is another major factor in North Carolina crashes - drivers who exceed posted limits put everyone at risk. Aggressive driving behaviors like tailgating, improper lane changes, and road rage incidents frequently lead to high-impact collisions. These accidents often cause orthopedic injuries that require surgery and lengthy recoveries.
Despite years of public awareness campaigns, impaired driving remains a serious problem across the state. Whether it is alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medications, impaired drivers are responsible for thousands of accidents each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, impaired driving remains a leading cause of roadway fatalities nationwide. A drunk driving can leave victims with lifelong disabilities. In such cases, North Carolina law may permit the award of punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages, serving as a means of punishing reckless behavior.
North Carolina’s varied geography brings unique weather risks. In the mountains, fog, ice, and winding roads increase the likelihood of accidents. In coastal regions like Wilmington and the Outer Banks, heavy rain and hurricanes create hazardous driving conditions. Even in central cities like Hickory and Greensboro, sudden storms can lead to hydroplaning and chain-reaction crashes.
The National Weather Service provides alerts and updates that can help drivers prepare for hazardous road conditions across the state. Insurers often attempt to blame the weather rather than driver negligence, making a careful investigation essential.
The state’s busy interstate system sees constant traffic from tractor-trailers and delivery vehicles. Collisions involving large trucks are particularly hazardous due to the significant size and weight disparity between commercial vehicles and passenger cars. Victims of trucking accidents frequently suffer catastrophic orthopedic trauma, head injuries, and spinal cord damage. These cases can be complicated, often involving federal trucking regulations, driver logs, and maintenance records. These accidents are also covered by commercial liability policies, where the policy limits are generally much higher than those of a regular vehicle’s policy.
In bustling North Carolina cities like Charlotte, pedestrian and bicycle accidents are becoming increasingly common. Crosswalk violations, distracted drivers, and speeding through city streets often result in serious injuries. Because pedestrians and cyclists have no protection against impact, the injuries are usually severe, including broken bones, head trauma, and permanent impairments.
Other causes include fatigued driving, defective vehicle parts, and reckless behavior, such as drag racing or fleeing from the police. No matter the cause, each case requires strong advocacy. Insurance companies will look for any opportunity to argue contributory negligence, even in situations where the other driver’s fault seems obvious.
At Galbavy Law, we have represented clients who have been injured in all of these scenarios. We understand the common causes of car accidents and how to build cases that overcome the unique challenges of NC auto injury claims.
After a car accident, one of the first questions people ask is, “What kind of compensation can I receive?” The answer depends on the specifics of your case, but the law in North Carolina provides for several categories of damages. At Galbavy Law, our goal is always to maximize every category of recovery available so you are not left paying for someone else’s mistake.
Medical bills are often the most significant component of a personal injury claim resulting from a car accident. This includes the cost of emergency room care, ambulance transport, hospital stays, surgeries, and follow-up appointments. For many of our clients, especially those with orthopedic injuries, medical treatment also involves physical therapy, rehabilitation, and ongoing pain management.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sets out policies on how your health insurance, including Medicare, may be applied in an injury claim and how CMS is reimbursed from any settlement proceeds. CMS also enforces rules on repayment when Medicare covers accident-related treatment. Just as significant are your future medical costs. If your doctor recommends additional surgeries, long-term rehabilitation, or lifetime care, those expenses must also be factored into your claim to ensure full recovery.
Unfortunately, insurance companies often dispute coverage for future treatment, forcing injured victims to undergo necessary care first and seek reimbursement only after the fact. An experienced attorney can help make sure those future costs are properly documented and included in your settlement or verdict.
Accidents frequently prevent people from returning to work immediately. Lost wages during recovery can quickly create financial strain, especially for families already facing medical bills. In severe cases involving permanent impairments, you may never return to your previous job.
We work with vocational experts and economists to calculate not only your current lost wages but also your diminished earning capacity over the course of your career. This is especially important in cases involving spinal injuries, joint replacements, or permanent orthopedic limitations.
Compensation often includes the repair or replacement of your vehicle. In addition, if personal items such as laptops, car seats, or phones were damaged in the crash, their value can also be recovered. Property damage claims are handled separately from bodily injury claims even though they are both under the same policy.
Not all losses are financial. Pain and suffering are key parts of many car accident claims. This includes physical pain from broken bones, surgeries, and ongoing medical treatments, as well as the emotional distress of not being able to enjoy life as you did before the accident. Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress are common after serious collisions. In cases involving scarring or disfigurement, the emotional toll is often lifelong.
North Carolina law recognizes that when an accident leaves you with a permanent impairment, you deserve compensation for that loss. Doctors often assign an impairment rating that reflects the lasting impact of your injury. This rating can significantly affect the value of your claim.
As an attorney with extensive experience in orthopedic cases, David Galbavy understands how to present this evidence effectively so that insurers and juries can comprehend the actual impact of these impairments.
In some cases, victims may be entitled to punitive damages. These are not meant to compensate for losses but to punish reckless or intentional behavior and deter it in the future. Drunk driving crashes, drag racing, or accidents caused by extreme recklessness may qualify for punitive damages under North Carolina law. To learn more about how punitive damages are defined and awarded in our state, see Chapter 1D (“Punitive Damages”) of the North Carolina General Statutes, which explains the standards and limits that apply under state law.
Insurance companies often focus on the smallest part of your claim, such as current medical bills, while ignoring future needs and non-economic damages. At Galbavy Law, we take a comprehensive approach to our work. We collaborate with doctors, rehabilitation specialists, and financial experts to ensure that every aspect of your loss is accounted for. This includes projected surgeries, rehabilitation costs, and the emotional toll of living with permanent pain or disability.
Our firm has recovered millions in settlements and verdicts for clients across North Carolina. These results were not achieved by accepting the first offer an insurance company made. They came from preparing every case thoroughly and being willing to fight when insurers refused to be fair.
Whether your crash happened in downtown Charlotte traffic or on a country road, you are entitled to pursue compensation that reflects the full scope of your losses. Auto injury claims can be challenging due to contributory negligence, but with an experienced auto accident attorney you can rely on, North Carolina residents can level the playing field.
At Galbavy Law, our goal is simple: to secure every dollar you are entitled to under the law so that you and your family can focus on healing and rebuilding.
After a car accident, many people wonder if they really need a lawyer. They may think the case is straightforward or assume the insurance company will take care of them.
Unfortunately, that is rarely the reality. Insurance companies are not on your side. Their job is to protect their profits by paying as little as possible. In North Carolina, they have a potent tool: the contributory negligence rule.
Under this rule, if you are found even one percent responsible for the accident, you may be barred from recovering anything. That means insurance adjusters look for the slightest excuse to shift blame onto you. They may argue you were driving a little too fast, failed to signal, or could have avoided the crash if you were paying closer attention. Even if the other driver was clearly at fault, this rule gives insurers a way to deny your claim.
Trying to handle this process alone is risky. A single mistake in what you say to an adjuster, or a gap in your medical documentation, can cost you your entire case.
This is why having an experienced North Carolina car accident lawyer by your side is critical. At Galbavy Law, we understand how insurers operate, having previously defended them. As a former insurance defense attorney, I understand their strategies and know how to counter them before they gain traction.
Another reason hiring a lawyer matters is the complexity of severe injury cases. Many car accidents result in orthopedic injuries such as broken bones, torn ligaments, and spinal damage. These injuries often require surgeries, long rehabilitation periods, and, in some cases, leave permanent impairments.
Insurance companies are notorious for undervaluing these cases. They may cover the first hospital stay, but ignore the need for future surgeries or lifelong treatment. An attorney who understands the medical realities of these injuries, and who regularly works with an orthopedic expert, can make sure the actual cost of your recovery is presented and demanded.
Beyond legal knowledge and medical understanding, hiring a lawyer also provides peace of mind. The aftermath of a car accident is stressful enough without trying to manage paperwork, deadlines, and negotiations.
When you work with Galbavy Law, we handle all communication with the insurance company, prepare all court filings, and guide you through every step of the legal process. Our clients are kept informed but relieved of the burden of fighting alone.
Hiring the right lawyer also matters due to their local knowledge. Having an attorney familiar with North Carolina’s unique cultural, legal, and geographic landscape is essential.
Finally, choosing Galbavy Law means choosing personal attention. At larger firms, clients often feel like they are just another file number. We take the opposite approach. When you hire us, you work directly with David Galbavy. We treat your case with the seriousness it deserves because we know it is not just a case to you; it is your life, your health, and your future.
The truth is simple. Insurance companies will have professionals on their side from the moment your claim begins. You should, too. With Galbavy Law, you gain a North Carolina car accident lawyer who knows the law, understands the medical realities of serious injuries, and is committed to fighting for you as if your case were our own.
Not all law firms are the same, and not all attorneys bring the same experience to the table. At Galbavy Law, our difference lies in a unique combination of credentials, results, and personal service that directly benefits our clients.
David Galbavy is a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation, a distinction earned by fewer than three percent of attorneys in North Carolina. This credential demonstrates an advanced level of expertise in injury law and a proven track record of handling complex cases. It means that when you hire Galbavy Law, you are working with someone who the legal community has recognized for excellence in this field.
Before founding the firm, David worked as an insurance defense attorney. This background provides a rare advantage. He knows firsthand how insurers build their cases, where they look for weaknesses, and how they decide whether to deny or settle claims. That knowledge now works for you. We prepare every claim with an eye toward how it will be challenged, and we close those gaps before the insurer can exploit them.
Our track record proves our success. Galbavy Law has recovered millions in crucial compensation for injured clients throughout Charlotte, Hickory, and the surrounding areas. These cases include severe orthopedic injuries, multiple surgeries, and lasting impairments. While each case is unique, our history demonstrates that we can effectively handle challenging claims and achieve significant results.
Another aspect of our distinction is our focus on orthopedic injuries. Many firms handle car accident claims, but not all have extensive experience with cases involving complex medical treatment, surgical procedures, and long-term disability.
We collaborate closely with orthopedic surgeons, rehabilitation specialists, and medical experts to provide clear evidence of how an injury impacts your life currently and its ongoing effects. This focus ensures that your claim captures not only your immediate needs but also the long-term consequences.
Finally, we feel a strong connection to the communities we serve. From urban areas like Charlotte and Hickory to smaller towns like Waxhaw and Lenoir, we are familiar with the area, its people, and the local court system. Our firm is deeply rooted in the state, and we take pride in representing the people who call it home.
The Galbavy Law difference is about more than credentials and results. It is about treating every client with respect, providing honest guidance, and fighting relentlessly for justice. When you choose our firm, you are choosing a team that combines proven experience with personal commitment, and that is what makes all the difference.
When you are involved in a car accident, questions will quickly overwhelm your mind. Here are answers to the concerns we hear most often from clients across North Carolina.
The first step is to ensure everyone's safety and call 911. Even if the crash seems minor, having a police report is essential for your claim. Seek medical attention right away, even if you think your injuries are minor. Some conditions, like concussions or internal injuries, may not appear immediately.
If you can, take photos of the scene, exchange information with the other driver, and gather contact details from any witnesses. Finally, contact a North Carolina car accident lawyer before speaking with the insurance company.
North Carolina is one of the few states that follows the doctrine of contributory negligence. If you are found even one percent at fault, you could be barred from recovering compensation. Insurers are aware of this and often attempt to argue that you share some degree of responsibility. At Galbavy Law, we build strong cases to clearly demonstrate that fault lies with the other driver, decreasing the chances that contributory negligence will be used against you.
The statute of limitations for most car accident cases is three years from the date of the crash. For wrongful death claims, the statute of limitations is two years. There may be exceptions for cases involving government vehicles or minors. Missing these deadlines can result in losing your right to seek compensation entirely, so it's best to contact an attorney as soon as possible.
Not every case requires legal representation. If there are no injuries and only minor property damage, you may be able to resolve the claim on your own. However, if you have suffered any type of injury, especially one that requires medical treatment, it is wise to consult an attorney.
Many seemingly “minor” crashes result in long-term back or neck problems that insurers try to dismiss. Speaking with an auto accident attorney NC residents trust ensures you understand your options before accepting a settlement.
If a drunk or impaired driver hurt you, you might be eligible for both compensatory and punitive damages. Compensatory damages cover your losses, while punitive damages aim to punish reckless behavior and discourage others. These cases can also involve criminal charges against the driver, but your right to compensation is handled through a civil lawsuit.
Many people are injured in car accidents while on the job, such as delivery drivers or employees traveling between work sites. In these situations, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in addition to a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. These are two separate cases.
Because David Galbavy is a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation, we are uniquely equipped to handle both claims and make sure you do not miss out on any available compensation.
At Galbavy Law, there are no upfront costs. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only receive payment if we successfully recover compensation on your behalf. Our fee is a percentage of the settlement or verdict. The initial consultation is free, and you won't be billed for asking questions about your case.
Timelines depend on case complexity. Some claims are settled within months, but cases involving permanent impairments or contributory negligence can take a year or longer to resolve. If litigation is needed, the process may be extended. Our focus is on securing a fair settlement that accurately compensates you for your losses, rather than rushing for the first offer.
Most car accident cases in North Carolina are resolved through settlement; however, some do proceed to trial. We prepare every case as if a jury will hear it. This preparation not only ensures we are ready for court but also gives us leverage in negotiations. Insurers know we are willing to fight, which often results in better settlement offers.
Medical providers, health insurers, and government programs like Medicare or Medicaid may place liens on your settlement to recover the cost of treatment they covered. These liens can reduce the amount you take home and should be handled carefully. At Galbavy Law, we negotiate with lien holders to reduce these claims whenever possible, maximizing the final recovery for our clients.
Our firm has recovered over $25 million in settlements and verdicts for injured North Carolinians. David Galbavy’s background as a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation and a former insurance defense lawyer gives our clients a distinct edge.
We understand how insurers operate and how to counter their tactics effectively. More importantly, we merge those credentials with personal service. Our clients can easily reach us, receive honest answers, and trust that their cases are handled with the care they deserve.
These are just some of the questions we hear most often. Every case is unique, and the best way to get answers tailored to your situation is to schedule a consultation with us. At Galbavy Law, that conversation is free and can give you the clarity and confidence you need to move forward.
Life after a car accident is filled with challenges. Medical bills, time away from work, and the uncertainty of the future can feel overwhelming. You should not have to face insurance companies alone or accept less than what you are entitled to under the law.
If you are looking for a North Carolina car accident lawyer who will treat your case as personally as you do, contact Galbavy Law today. The consultation is free, there are no upfront costs, and you will have a dedicated advocate ready to stand by your side from the very first call.
Your recovery starts here.
1 Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes in future cases because each case is unique and must be evaluated separately. The only way we can assist you is for you to call us about your case.
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