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.

A newly elected District Attorney will soon be sworn in the 13th prosecutorial district of NC.

The 13th prosecutorial district of North Carolina is comprised of Brunswick County, Columbus County, and Bladen County located in Southeastern NC. The district attorney’s office in Brunswick County is located in Bolivia, NC and is the largest office of the three counties.

The district attorney’s office prosecutes crimes committed within their district including felonies and misdemeanors. Most of the prosecutions in the courtroom are conducted by assistant district attorneys – all of which are lawyers licensed in the State of NC.

Rex Gore, who is the current elected district attorney, was defeated in the democratic primary by Butch Pope out of Whiteville, NC. He is challenged by Jon David, who is currently an assistant district attorney in New Hanover County and has his office located in Wilmington, NC. The result of the upcoming election will decide who will be the new District Attorney, and what, if any, changes will be made with the district attorney’s office in the 13th district.

A possible disposition for a criminal or traffic charge (either an infraction, misdemeanor, or a felony) unique to North Carolina state courts, is a Prayer for Judgment Continued, or PJC.  When requesting a court to grant a request for a PJC, the proper way attorneys ask is to request that the “judgment be continued,” or to request that the court “continue judgment.”  While a PJC is an excellent result in many cases, it may not be the best result for all criminal or traffic cases.

Our experience has been that the effect of a PJC is highly misunderstood by most people, including lawyers or other legal professionals not experienced in traffic or criminal law.

The effect of a PJC for traffic violations is controlled by statutes and varies with the context in which it is considered.  A PJC may or may not avoid points, and the rules are different with respect to driver’s license points (or DMV points) or insurance points.   We have posted an article explaining more details about what a PJC is and how it may affect one’s record on our site, and a brief summary of how a PJC may affect insurance and DMV points for traffic violations.

Any time you are considering requesting a PJC, you should always consult with an experienced criminal or traffic lawyer.  If you have a pending court date for a criminal matter or traffic violation, call Attorney David Collins at Collins Law Firm for a consultation at 910-793-9000.

At Collins Law Firm, we have been practicing criminal and traffic law in Southeastern North Carolina for over a decade and David Collins has been licensed to practice law in both North Carolina and South Carolina since 1993.  The counties we cover for criminal and traffic matters include (County/Seat of Court): Brunswick County/Bolivia, NC; New Hanover County/Wilmington, NC; Pender County/Burgaw, NC; Columbus County/Whiteville, NC; Bladen County/Elizabethtown, NC; Sampson County/Clinton, NC; Duplin County/Kenansville, NC; and Onslow County/Jacksonville, NC.