Greenville Personal Injury Attorney Blog

When it comes to assault cases, there are two potential outcomes that may befall the defendant: criminal charges or cicil lawsuit. Though the crimes are similar, both the circumstances and the way they are handled after the inciting incident are different. So let’s dive in and distinguish between civil and criminal court injuries.

Criminal Charges

In order to be charged with criminal activity, the defendant must be found to have broken the law (local or federal) and committed a crime in some way. Every state has their own statutes regarding assault and battery, encoded and enforced via local legislature. Criminal assault charges typically come with time in prison and a hefty fine of up to thousands of dollars.

If you ever find yourself in a position where you’ve been attacked and injured, turn to the law for guidance and clarity. After that, contact a professional attorney to discuss the situation and see whether criminal charges can reasonably be pressed. Remember, this is the best course of action to follow for someone who may be a danger to themselves or others. For simple misunderstandings, minor first-time offenders, or cases without injury, one can still pursue a civil lawsuit.

Civil Lawsuit

Although civil lawsuits are typically far less serious than the full weight of criminal charges, they can still be a big deal. One of the major differences between the two is that civil lawsuits can be won even if the plaintiff has not sustained injury. If they are made to feel unsafe or that harm was imminent, then their case has legs. Simple negligence or mechanical malfunction cannot be charged with assault, however. These cases present different circumstances with different procedures.

Ultimately, the goal of a civil lawsuit is to award the plaintiff with monetary compensation for physical, mental, and/or emotional trauma. These types of lawsuits rarely include any threat of time in prison, and plaintiffs often try to incorporate as many parties into the lawsuit as possible to gain the most monetary advantage in the end.

Summary

Again, if you've sustained physical or mental injury at the hands of another person, seek out a professional immediately. At the very least, you may be entitled to compensation. At most, you may be instrumental in putting a dangerous person in prison. Contact Wayne Hardee Law to make an appointment for any questions or concerns you may have, and we'll put you in touch with a skilled attorney who can guide you through the process. Keep up with our blog for the latest stories and FAQ's!

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Liability waivers are powerful documents. Under normal circumstances, they take precedence over the natural law, as the signer is willingly waiving their right to hold a second party liable for any injuries or damages that they may sustain. These are typically used in situations where the participant may be put at risk doing a potentially dangerous activity.

Of course, there are some guidelines. Before agreeing to the terms of any document and waiving their right to claim liability, a signer will want to know that every precaution was taken to prevent any injuries or other damages. The document itself must be clearly worded, without any hidden intentions or fine print, and specific in its applications and limitations. In other words, what does this apply to? What does it not apply to?

The waiver not only benefits the organization by protecting them from lawsuit down the road, but it also acts as an entry ticket. The organization is providing access to their goods or services in exchange for the agreement that you will not seek legal action in the future. Typically, this agreement is binding, and the waiver covers any sustained damages. But under what circumstances might waivers be made invalid? Is this even legally possible? The answer is yes, invalidating a waiver can be done under the right circumstances.

For example, though you’ve signed a document waiving all rights to a liability charge, the organization is still responsible for promoting safety and maintaining equipment. Whether that means additional safety staff or detailed instructional videos, they are responsible for upholding their end of the waiver agreement. Gross negligence is an obvious offense. Naturally, organizations cannot harm you intentionally, as that would negate the waiver immediately. The waiver must also be signed by a willing and knowledgeable participant. In other words, a participant cannot be forced or otherwise taken advantage of when signing. This includes waivers written using opaque legalese or hidden fine print.

If any of these requirements are breached, then the waiver can easily be made invalid. A personal injury lawyer will approach the incident from all possible angles, seeking ways to gain compensation for your injuries. The presence of a waiver makes this process more challenging but not impossible, especially if the organization is clearly at fault. If you’ve sustained an injury at the expense of a negligent third party, consider finding a lawyer. Our skilled attorneys here at Wayne Hardee Law would be glad to accept the challenge and help you receive due compensation. Visit our website and contact us today!

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Oftentimes, personal injury cases are settled outside of court. Wanting to compensate the victim for their physical, mental, and/or emotional distress, the defendant’s insurance company will provide them with a predetermined sum of money as a settlement. This can then be used to pay for medical bills or other property damages that may have occurred during the accident.

But what happens when the case goes to trial? Under these circumstances, you must be prepared to state your case and defend your position. You are defending the right to compensation for the personal injury you sustained at another’s expense. So, it stands to reason that the court will require evidence relevant to the case. But what kind of evidence should you be collecting? What is the judge looking for, and what is acceptable in the court of law? We will cover these and other questions below.

First, it’s strongly recommended that you seek professional help from an attorney. Attorneys, especially those well-versed in the laws surrounding personal injury and compensation, can be a considerable asset to your case. They will guide you through the process, help you get your facts straight, and assist in gathering the necessary evidence should you ultimately need to present in court.

In terms of evidence, you must collect information that is relevant to the case and supports your claim. For example, photo and video evidence is among the most important. This has to be done at the scene of the accident, so don’t get too caught up in the moment. Keep a level head, pull out your phone, and start taking photos. The most important thing you can do is remain consistent with your story and recount the accident exactly as you remember it, so jot down some notes before they slip your mind.

Official documents are also extremely beneficial in a court of law. These may be in the form of a testimony from a licensed professional, or it may simply be an itemized medical bill with the total cost listed at the bottom. In a similar thread, you may also call witnesses to testify on your behalf. Perhaps someone witnessed the accident and can corroborate your claim against the defendant.

Begin by building your case with the help of a professionally trained lawyer. Here at Wayne Hardee Law, our team is dedicated to helping you get full compensation for sustained injury. Our attorneys will work alongside you to ensure that you are properly informed and well-prepared. Give us a call today!

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When someone’s negligence leads to injury of a third party, the third party will almost surely be advised to pursue compensation through legal means. Of course, it depends on the severity of the injury, but even minor accidents require a thorough checkup to ensure bodily health. Whether you are the negligent party, the injured party, or the insurance company who finances the negligent party, there are really only two outcomes in a case such as this: settlement or trial.

You may be eager to accept whatever settlement is proposed, receive your money, and put the incident behind you once and for all. In some cases, this may be your best option. But how do you know for sure you’re getting everything you deserve? How do you know when to take a settlement out of court and when to take the case to trial?

First, it’s important to remember that when taking a case to trial, you are not always guaranteed to emerge victorious. You may see this as yet another point in favor of a quick settlement, but what if the settlement (typically arranged and proposed by the insurance company of the defendant) is not enough to cover damages suffered in the accident? Personal injury includes not only physical suffering, but mental and emotional as well. It’s crucial that you recognize the scope of your injuries and begin this process with the expectation of full compensation.

It’s critical to hire an attorney to guide you through the process. Depending on your unique situation, they can help you make the best decision when it comes to trial versus settlement. An attorney can tell you if the settlement is a low-ball offer and, perhaps more importantly, if it will cover all necessary expenses. This would be the primary reason for taking a case to trial. Otherwise, a settlement is a great way to avoid the often lengthy court proceedings and all the stress and anxiety that comes with it.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that you receive the compensation you are due. If you feel like a settlement is fair, then accept it by all means. But do seek the opinion of a personal injury attorney before making any final decisions. If you’re looking for a reliable law firm, we here at Wayne Hardee Law would be more than happy to represent you. Our team of lawyers will stand by you and help you make an informed decision as you seek compensation for injury. Contact us today, or visit our website for more information!

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Most people spend the majority of their lives in and on other properties than their own. Everywhere from our place of work to grocery stores is owned by someone else. While this doesn't normally have an impact on our day to day habits, it can quickly become important if something bad happens. While there are any number of injuries that can happen in our own homes, it is just as likely that we are hurt in another location. In fact, it happens often enough that these types of cases have their own umbrella term. These cases are called premise liability.

The concept of premise liability is very similar to the idea that when you are driving, you are responsible for everyone in your car. If someone is hurt on a property that you own, you may be held responsible if you have an unsafe condition which caused the injury. While you can't be found to be at fault for some things, like if they step on their own pant leg and fall over, there are many things that you can be held accountable for. This can include just about anything that you could have fixed or put a warning up to prevent.

If you have ever walked through a building and seen a “Wet Floor” sign, it may only seem like an act of precaution, but it's also a method to prevent a premise liability case. Issues like slippery floors can definitely cause injuries, and it is important for a property owner to make sure that anyone currently on their property knows this. While wet floors are one of the most common causes of injuries, someone can be hurt due to anything from a carpet ripple to faulty wiring to a misaligned door frame. These types of injuries can be, and often are, severe. It may come as a surprise how often these instances occur. It is important that you know what actions you can take if you were hurt on someone else's property due to their negligence.

If you suffered an injury outside your home due to someone else's actions, you may be able to argue a premise liability case. To do that, you're going to need help. Wayne Hardee has decades of experience as a lawyer taking on premise liability cases in North Carolina. These claims can be difficult, but with someone like Wayne on your side, you can breathe knowing that you have some of the best representation in the state. Give him a call today, and see how much of a difference he can make in your case!

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No one ever wants to deal with insurance. It is a complicated and often convoluted process even to get to a live representative from their automated menus. It involves long wait periods where you're stuck on hold just hoping that someone will answer that doesn't have a robotic voice. Once you get through to a real person, it can seem like the menus were easier to deal with. Trying to get information is frequently like pulling teeth, and you tend to get conflicting information between what the representatives tell you and what actually happens later. When you're trying to deal with this on top of an injury, it can be enough to make you want to deal with it yourself and simply avoid them altogether.

Naturally if you were injured due to someone else's negligence, you need to speak to your insurance company one way or another. Sometimes it's so that you can figure out what kind of coverage you have, other times it's to dispute claims, and sometimes it's to try and work out a payment plan due to the high costs that come with sudden injuries. Whatever your reason for speaking to your company is, the fact remains that it is exhausting and can be difficult to get through to someone who can actually help when what you should be doing is recovering.

When you are injured, there is a lot that feels like it's out of your control. It can be scary and frustrating to recover from an injury in the first place, but if you add a battle with your insurance company into the mix, it is often seemingly impossible to deal with the constant stress. This is why it is always a good idea to hire someone to help you with these problems. You need someone who knows how to help you get the compensation you deserve despite insurance companies' arguments to the contrary. Someone like Wayne Hardee.

Wayne Hardee has decades of experience working on personal injury cases and has dealt with a solid number of insurance companies over the years. Although it is never easy, Wayne has the passion and drive to get the results that you deserve so that you can focus on your recovery. It's important that you stay as stress free as possible, so let someone else handle the legal side of things for you. Call Wayne and see how much he helps you today!

No one ever wants to deal with insurance. It is a complicated and often convoluted process even to get to a live representative from their automated menus. It involves long wait periods where you're stuck on hold just hoping that someone will answer that doesn't have a robotic voice. Once you get through to a real person, it can seem like the menus were easier to deal with. Trying to get information is frequently like pulling teeth, and you tend to get conflicting information between what the representatives tell you and what actually happens later. When you're trying to deal with this on top of an injury, it can be enough to make you want to deal with it yourself and simply avoid them altogether.

Naturally if you were injured due to someone else's negligence, you need to speak to your insurance company one way or another. Sometimes it's so that you can figure out what kind of coverage you have, other times it's to dispute claims, and sometimes it's to try and work out a payment plan due to the high costs that come with sudden injuries. Whatever your reason for speaking to your company is, the fact remains that it is exhausting and can be difficult to get through to someone who can actually help when what you should be doing is recovering.

When you are injured, there is a lot that feels like it's out of your control. It can be scary and frustrating to recover from an injury in the first place, but if you add a battle with your insurance company into the mix, it is often seemingly impossible to deal with the constant stress. This is why it is always a good idea to hire someone to help you with these problems. You need someone who knows how to help you get the compensation you deserve despite insurance companies' arguments to the contrary. Someone like Wayne Hardee.

Wayne Hardee has decades of experience working on personal injury cases and has dealt with a solid number of insurance companies over the years. Although it is never easy, Wayne has the passion and drive to get the results that you deserve so that you can focus on your recovery. It's important that you stay as stress free as possible, so let someone else handle the legal side of things for you. Call Wayne and see how much he helps you today!

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Although it shouldn't seem like finding a needle in a haystack, it can feel nearly impossible to find someone who will work with you and treat you fairly. This is true in any aspect of life, but it is especially true when you want anything to do in the legal world. There is an unfortunate and harmful stereotype that lawyers have no heart and only care about money, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Most lawyers choose their profession because they truly want to help people through the justice system. You'll always find people who give their jobs a bad name in any profession, but it can seem like people avoid lawyers like the plague. This is often damaging and hurtful to those who have dedicated their lives to making sure that others get the compensation that they deserve. Thankfully we know that there is at least one lawyer in the area that you can always trust to do what is right.

Wayne Hardee became a lawyer because he truly loves helping people. This is shown time and again through his vast involvement in the community as well as his clear dedication to his work. Over the past 40 years, Wayne has proven that everything he does, he does with heart. Growing up in North Carolina, he saw first hand just how important community involvement is. He lives in the area he practices in, which shows he is determined to make this part of the state the best that it can be. With an office right on Arlington Blvd, he is always here for you in case you need him. If you can't travel to him, he will figure out his way to you. If there's one thing that can be said about Wayne Hardee, it's that he will do everything he can to be the right lawyer for you.

It isn't easy to find the right lawyer for you. There are so many different ways of approaching any specific case that it can seem like no two people have the same ideas. As with anything, however, practice is a huge factor that can only help to make someone's experience better in ever sense of the word. When it comes to finding the right lawyer for you and your case, you want someone with some time under their belt. Wayne Hardee has that and so much more. Give him a call today and see what a difference he can make with your case!

Although it shouldn't seem like finding a needle in a haystack, it can feel nearly impossible to find someone who will work with you and treat you fairly. This is true in any aspect of life, but it is especially true when you want anything to do in the legal world. There is an unfortunate and harmful stereotype that lawyers have no heart and only care about money, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Most lawyers choose their profession because they truly want to help people through the justice system. You'll always find people who give their jobs a bad name in any profession, but it can seem like people avoid lawyers like the plague. This is often damaging and hurtful to those who have dedicated their lives to making sure that others get the compensation that they deserve. Thankfully we know that there is at least one lawyer in the area that you can always trust to do what is right.

Wayne Hardee became a lawyer because he truly loves helping people. This is shown time and again through his vast involvement in the community as well as his clear dedication to his work. Over the past 40 years, Wayne has proven that everything he does, he does with heart. Growing up in North Carolina, he saw first hand just how important community involvement is. He lives in the area he practices in, which shows he is determined to make this part of the state the best that it can be. With an office right on Arlington Blvd, he is always here for you in case you need him. If you can't travel to him, he will figure out his way to you. If there's one thing that can be said about Wayne Hardee, it's that he will do everything he can to be the right lawyer for you.

It isn't easy to find the right lawyer for you. There are so many different ways of approaching any specific case that it can seem like no two people have the same ideas. As with anything, however, practice is a huge factor that can only help to make someone's experience better in ever sense of the word. When it comes to finding the right lawyer for you and your case, you want someone with some time under their belt. Wayne Hardee has that and so much more. Give him a call today and see what a difference he can make with your case!

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Getting hit by a car under any circumstance, I think we can all agree, is not the ideal situation. While there may be some better times or places or ways to get hit, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's something you generally want to avoid at all costs. After all, there's no way to be sure that you will get away with minimal injuries even under the best of conditions. The fact of the matter stands that if you are in an accident there are lots of things that are going to be going on all at once, and you could use someone to help you figure it all out.

The first thing you want to do if you were in an accident is get checked out by a doctor. This most likely means a hospital trip. Even if you don't feel like you're in pain, a visit should always be your first step. This can help show anything that you may not be aware of in the event of adrenaline or shock, or it can give you a clean bill of health. The other reason you want to go is to make sure you have a medical record for your accident. This will help your case if you choose to file a claim, even if you don't develop symptoms immediately. Some injuries can take a while to show, so it's better to go right away and make sure that the issue is documented as soon as possible.

The other thing that you need to do if you were in a car accident is look around for a good lawyer. Arguing with insurance companies can be difficult and exhausting, but if you need to argue fault it is a whole different ball game. Finding someone who can represent you is a very important step in getting the compensation that you deserve, so don't leave it up to just anyone.

If you're looking for someone to represent you after a car accident in North Carolina, look no further. Wayne Hardee has been working to get people the compensation they deserve for decades and can bring all of that experience to your case. He knows how difficult this can be, and will do everything he can to make sure that you can focus on your recovery as opposed to worrying about the outcome of your case. Give him a call today and see how much he can help!

Getting hit by a car under any circumstance, I think we can all agree, is not the ideal situation. While there may be some better times or places or ways to get hit, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's something you generally want to avoid at all costs. After all, there's no way to be sure that you will get away with minimal injuries even under the best of conditions. The fact of the matter stands that if you are in an accident there are lots of things that are going to be going on all at once, and you could use someone to help you figure it all out.

The first thing you want to do if you were in an accident is get checked out by a doctor. This most likely means a hospital trip. Even if you don't feel like you're in pain, a visit should always be your first step. This can help show anything that you may not be aware of in the event of adrenaline or shock, or it can give you a clean bill of health. The other reason you want to go is to make sure you have a medical record for your accident. This will help your case if you choose to file a claim, even if you don't develop symptoms immediately. Some injuries can take a while to show, so it's better to go right away and make sure that the issue is documented as soon as possible.

The other thing that you need to do if you were in a car accident is look around for a good lawyer. Arguing with insurance companies can be difficult and exhausting, but if you need to argue fault it is a whole different ball game. Finding someone who can represent you is a very important step in getting the compensation that you deserve, so don't leave it up to just anyone.

If you're looking for someone to represent you after a car accident in North Carolina, look no further. Wayne Hardee has been working to get people the compensation they deserve for decades and can bring all of that experience to your case. He knows how difficult this can be, and will do everything he can to make sure that you can focus on your recovery as opposed to worrying about the outcome of your case. Give him a call today and see how much he can help!

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