When you get in an accident or suffer a serious injury, trying to figure out what to do can be overwhelming. At Beaver Courie Law Firm our personal injury attorneys will help you through this difficult time. Our team has earned recognition among clients and legal professionals throughout the region for our capacity to help personal injury victims fight for their rights.

You undoubtedly have some questions about your situation. Here are some answers to common questions:

How soon do I have to file a lawsuit claim after my injury?

Each state has different rules on this, but all states have time limits for filing a claim, which means that time is of the essence. The deadlines also differ depending on the type of case you are filing. In North Carolina, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases requires injured persons to file their lawsuits by three years from the date of the injury. (N.C. Gen. Stat. section 1-52). It is vital to file in this three year period, or you will lose your right to compensation.

What kind of damages can I recover in my personal injury case? The damages you may be able to recover include:

• Medical expenses (past & future)
• Pain and suffering
• Scarring
• Lost wages (past & future)
• Lost earning capacity
• Punitive damages
• Loss of consortium (injury to a marital relationship)

What is contributory negligence?

Contributory negligence is when the business or person you are filing against claims that you are at least partially at fault for causing your injury. In North Carolina, if proven, contributory negligence will prevent you from recovering anything for your injuries.

Do I have a personal injury case?

There are many different types of personal injury claims. To learn whether you have a personal injury claim, contact our office of capable, award-winning lawyers at Beaver Courie Law Firm! We will fight for your rights and the best possible resolution to your personal injury claim.

Why choose Beaver Courie?

For over four decades, our law firm has been building successful case results by helping personal injury victims, one case at a time. We have helped people recover full and fair money damages for personal injury and wrongful death claims resulting from:

• Car Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Medical Malpractice, Doctor Errors
• Premises Liability, Slip and Fall Accidents
• Serious Dog Bites
• Workplace Injuries Not Covered By Workers’ Compensation

How do I Begin?

Help is only a phone call or click away! You can start by filling out our Personal Injury Case Evaluation Form . We will contact you and begin working with on your case.

When results matter…choose Beaver Courie Law Firm.

The Lafayette Collection includes letters, monographs, books, commemorative items, maps, and other items dating from Lafayette’s lifetime and beyond. Archives Librarian Arleen Fields is the curator of the University’s special collections, and organized this year’s event, in conjunction with the Lafayette Society.

“The highlight of the program was a presentation to the University of an 1825 ‘Lafayette map’ of Fayetteville from the Lafayette Society,” Fields said. “The map is a window into the history of Fayetteville and our connection to Lafayette.”

Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, gained fame as a young Frenchman fighting for the colonies during the American Revolutionary War. He remained popular in the United States throughout his lifetime and was treated like a celebrity during his “grand tour” of the states in 1824-1825. Lafayette visited Fayetteville in March 1825, and the Lafayette Room in Davis Memorial Library is furnished in the style of southern American homes of that time period.

The Lafayette Society was founded in 1981 by the late Martha Duell, as a nonprofit organization to honor the memory of the Marquis de Lafayette and promote awareness of his contributions to mankind and freedom. To this end, the group recently added $10,00 to its endowment fund at MU.

“The Lafayette Society is excited to partner with Methodist University in order to build up the Lafayette Collection at Davis Memorial Library,” said Dr. Hank Parfitt, president of the Lafayette Society. “This collection has enormous potential as a resource not only for student scholars at Methodist, but also for faculty and graduate students from other universities. Our board is solidly behind the endeavor and voted unanimously to redirect our endowment with Methodist to this purpose.”

If another driver negligently caused the wreck, the injured person can make a claim against that driver’s insurance company. What if the other driver has no insurance or too little insurance to cover the medical expenses, lost wages, pain, and suffering that result from serious injuries? In those situations, the negligent driver probably does not have enough money or assets to compensate a seriously injured person. Injured persons who have practiced insurance self-defense can turn to their own insurance companies’ uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for compensation. Uninsured motorist coverage provides protection in situations when a person with no insurance coverage negligently causes injury in a motor vehicle wreck. Uninsured coverage is typically included in all automobile liability policies in North Carolina. Even if a person has only the minimum required liability coverage of $30,000, that person will have $30,000 of uninsured motorist coverage that provides some protection if a covered person is injured by an uninsured driver. An uninsured driver includes a hit-and-run driver who hits another car, flees the scene, and is never identified.

Underinsured motorist coverage protects an injured person when a negligent driver does not have enough insurance coverage to pay full compensation for the harms and losses caused by the driver’s negligence. This coverage can come into play when a person is so seriously injured in a wreck that the negligent driver’s liability insurance coverage is insufficient to compensate for the injuries. Underinsured motorist coverage can also come into play when multiple people are injured by a driver’s negligence and the available liability insurance coverage is not enough to compensate all of the injured people. In these situations, underinsured motorist coverage under the insurance policy on the vehicle in which the injured person or persons were riding can provide another source of compensation. Additionally, if an injured person has underinsured coverage under a policy on a different vehicle, that coverage can provide additional compensation if the injuries are severe enough.

Vehicle owners who have more than minimum liability limits can purchase up to $1,000,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This insurance self-defense technique can save injured people from the additional harm that occurs when a person is injured and there isn’t enough insurance coverage to provide full compensation for all of the injuries. It’s bad enough to be injured by another driver’s negligence; it’s even worse if that driver has no liability insurance or not enough coverage to compensate for all of the injuries.

Drivers should protect themselves and their families by purchasing uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage with limits as high as possible. Don’t be that person who is told by a lawyer, “You could have received a much larger recovery for your serious injuries, but there wasn’t enough insurance coverage. If only you had uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage . . . .”

“I want the very best outcome for him I can possibly get,” Courie said. “He’s a good young man, appears to be a good young soldier and he’s continued to cooperate. I hope that whatever disposition we reach is one that does not take him off track.”

His case was continued and a new date has not been set.

Click here for the full article from the Fayetteville Observer.

See article on Fayetteville Observer here

See article on WRAL here.

David Courie texted me the other day to ask if I had seen the vultures atop the Woodrow Street Park water tower. I had. At least a hundred of these birds rest there day and night.

Later, when I saw him at work, David and I talked more about the vultures. What exactly are they? Why are they here? Why are they attracted to the tower? This didn’t happen when we were younger, did it? Several people have asked me similar questions about congregations of vultures on this and other towers around the region, so I’ll take advantage of this forum to discuss the phenomenon. The birds at Woodrow Street are turkey vultures, so-named because of their superficial resemblance to the wild game bird. Both are large and dark with unfeathered reddish heads. The turkey vulture has long wide wings that end with five or six primary feathers extending like fingers. A six-foot person’s arm span comes close to the width of the turkey vulture’s wingspan. The front third of each underwing is lined with dark feathers; a wedge of lighter-colored feathers comprises the trailing edge. In flight, you can tell a turkey vulture is a turkey vulture from a long way off.

First, its enormous size allows you to see it from a distance, and that is often what catches your eye. Only an eagle is as large. But, it is easy to tell a turkey vulture from a bald or golden eagle.

Eagles soar on wings held flat in the same plane; a turkey vulture soars with its wings upswept in a slight dihedral (two planes meeting at angle). Just remember to associate the v-shaped wings with the “v” in vulture.

Eagles tend to move along deliberately in a straight line. In contrast, turkey vultures tend to rock from side-to-side as they soar, buffeted by the wind.

Turkey vultures are scavengers. They eat carrion, which is a polite way of saying the decaying flesh of dead animals. In fact, this diet is why vultures have bare heads. It is easier to get an unfeathered head clean than a feathered one after it has been digging around in a carcass.

These birds are common all over the United States in the warmer months and in Cumberland County year ’round.

In the cooler months, the number of vultures increases here, because we have an influx of birds from states to the north and west of us.

Years ago, when I was a birding kid, I didn’t notice an increase of vultures in the wintertime. Maybe some of the vultures from elsewhere, as well as some of ours, went farther south for the winter back then.

Climate change could be responsible for the difference today; since it’s warmer, more of these birds might be sticking around. For whatever reason, turkey vultures have become more common here at this time of year.

When I see turkey vultures on the Woodrow Street water tower or any number of radio towers around the region, I note that their arrangement mimics what I have seen in the wild.

Being large, long-winged birds, turkey vultures can’t just roost anywhere. They have to have a clear shot into their perch and a clear flight path on which to get away. So, dead trees with few remaining limbs and leaves to hinder them are their preference. And, when the birds fly in, their wingspan forces them to sit apart from each other. Maintaining that distance on the roost also affords them room to spread their wings when it comes time to fly away.

Perhaps our penchant for removing dead trees has limited natural places available for turkey vultures at a time when the species needs more places to sit. Next chance you get, take a look at how vultures situate themselves on a local tower. It’ll make sense to you now.

Where turkey vulture was once a bird of rural habitats, it is now a suburban bird. Look up next time you’re outside. One of these birds is probably flying overhead.

In the field of criminal defense, the most pivotal factor of a case is often whether the defendant’s interaction with law enforcement amounts to an illegal seizure. In plain terms, did the law enforcement officer have a right to stop the person he ultimately charged? This question arises in the evaluation of cases ranging from Driving While Impaired to Drug Trafficking and the answer can often mean the difference between a guilty verdict and the complete dismissal of charges.

In evaluating whether a person’s seizure was legal under the law, the answer usually centers on the elusive legal notion of reasonable suspicion. Assuming a stop occurred, the question becomes did the law enforcement officer have reasonable suspicion to stop the defendant? The United States Supreme Court decided many years ago in the case of Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 30 (1968), that a law enforcement officer may conduct an investigative stop of a person when the officer “observes unusual conduct which leads him reasonably to conclude in light of his experience that criminal activity may be afoot.” In other words, can the officer articulate, from his own perspective and experience, factors which lead him to believe criminal activity was occurring? This seemingly straightforward question has become a highly debated issue since the Supreme Court’s ruling in 1968 leading to a massive index of case law which creates the framework for today’s legal analysis.

The concept of whether reasonable suspicion exits is simple enough in the context of a stop based on a Chapter 20 traffic violation such as speeding or failure to stop at a stop sign. In these cases, the law enforcement officer can easily justify why he or she stopped the defendant. The concept of reasonable suspicion becomes much more complex in the context of a stop based upon a person’s presence in a high crime or drug area or when the stop is based upon information provided from a tipster or informant. In these cases, the law becomes very particular and the specific facts of a defendant’s case become the decisive factor.

Whether you have been charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while impaired, or felony possession of drugs, your case may hinge on the question of whether the stop by law enforcement was justified under the law. Contact the Criminal Defense Attorneys in Fayetteville NC at Beaver Courie Law Firm for an experienced and honest evaluation of your case.

For more information on reasonable suspicion and pretextual stops, visit the School of Government’s website here.

For more information contact Criminal Defense Attorneys in Fayetteville NC, David T. Courie, Sr., Mark L. Hearp, or Cristina S. Quantock at 910-323-4600 or 910-875-3379.

Here are some recent legal updates:

Effective August 1, 2013, the Senate passed a bill which will increase the jurisdictional amount (amount in controversy) in the General Court of Justice from five thousand dollars ($5,000) to ten thousand dollars ($10,000). This means civil causes of action which allege damages in an amount less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) will be heard in Small Claims Court. The new law also makes arbitration mandatory in certain civil case. If you are interested in additional information on this subject, Senate Bill 452/Session Law 2013-159 is available on the North Carolina General Assembly’s website.

Effective August 1, 2013, the Senate passed a bill which prohibits the sale of E-Cigarettes to minors. If you are interested in additional information on this subject, Senate Bill 530/Session Law 2013-165 is available on the North Carolina General Assembly’s website.

Effective October 1, 2013, the House passed a bill which will allow the District Attorney to petition the Court to seize the assets of a person who is charged with the Financial Exploitation of an Elder Adult or Disabled Adult. In addition to serious criminal punishments, these felony cases can often result in a great deal of restitution owed to the prosecuting witness. If you are interested in additional information on this subject, House Bill 891/Session Law 2013-203 is available on the North Carolina General Assembly’s website.

Effective October 1, 2013, North Carolina’s laws on domestic violence changed to allow for consent protective orders entered pursuant to Chapter 50B to be entered without findings of fact or conclusions of law. The statute also changed the available remedies which may be sought by including accessing attorney’s fees to either party. Both of these changes will have a dramatic impact on domestic violence protective orders in North Carolina. For more information on this subject, see House Bill 209/Session Law 2013-237 on the North Carolina General Assembly’s website.

Effective December 1, 2013, North Carolina’s laws on first and second degree murder were changed to include Lily’s Law. Lily’s law specifically includes as murder the incidence of when a child, who is born alive, dies as the result of injuries inflicted prior to the child’s birth. For more information on Lily’s Law, Senate Bill 117/Session Law 2013-47 is available on the North Carolina General Assembly’s website.

Looking for help with a charge or claim? Beaver Courie Law Firm in Fayetteville NC has years of experience in Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, DWI and traffic violations, Malpractice, Civil and Business Litigation and ABC/ALE law. Find out more here.

Contact Beaver Courie Law Firm in Fayetteville NC today.

Named to “The National Trial Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers”:

H. Gerald Beaver David T. Courie Mark L. Hearp Cristina Quantock

Beaver Courie Law Firm was selected as a U.S. News and World Report Magazine Best Law Firm (Tier 1) for 2015. This is the 5th straight year the firm has been selected for this award.

Partner David T. Courie received Martindale Hubbell’s coveted AV Rating.An AV Rating is the “highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards” and “is the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous Peer Review Rating”. Martindale Hubbell has conducted this “lawyers and judges rating other lawyers” peer review for over 100 years and it is viewed as the “go to” source for insider’s to choose or recommend lawyers. For years it was available only to lawyers who would rely on it to refer clients to other lawyers and firms in other cities or states or in different areas of legal practice. It has recently been made available to the public through the internet as a valuable resource to make an well informed decision in hiring an attorney.

Up and Coming Magazine “Best of Fayetteville 2014”

Fayetteville’s Best Law Firm – Beaver Courie Fayetteville’s Best Criminal and Traffic Attorney – David T. Courie Fayetteville’s Best Columnist – Hal W. Broadfoot, Jr.

*award recipients and criteria can be found at beavercourie.com

A Driving While Impaired conviction, whether received in State or Federal court, will result of in the loss of one’s license for at least one (1) year. Depending upon the level of punishment received, some people will qualify for a limited driving privilege under North Carolina General Statute § 20-179.3. This limited driving privilege will enable someone to drive to work, school, and perhaps even for household purposes.

In order to qualify for a limited driving privileged after conviction, the Court must have imposed a Level 3, 4, or 5 punishment. In addition, a person must have had a valid North Carolina driver’s license or a North Carolina license that had been expired for less than one (1) year. Finally, the person must be over 21 years of age and cannot have any unresolved Driving While Impaired charges.

Assuming the above criteria have been met, a person may petition the Court for a post-conviction limited driving privilege once he obtains a Substance Abuse Assessment, proof of insurance via a DL123 Form, and proof of specific hours for school attendance or work. If the Judge ordered installment of an Interlock device as part of the judgment, a person must also show proof of this device and wait forty-five (45) days to petition the Court for a driving privilege.

Special rules apply for Driving While Impaired convictions in which a person refused to submit to the breathalyzer machine (ECIR II). In addition to having to comply with extra requirements, refusal cases must also wait six (6) months from the date of the refusal to petition the Court for a limited driving privilege.

Special rules also apply for convictions of Driving After Consuming While Being Less than 21 Years of Age. In these cases, a person may qualify for a limited driving privilege despite the typical age requirement.

While limited driving privileges most often arise in the case of Driving While Impaired, North Carolina law also allows for a person to petition for a limited driving privilege in certain cases when a license is suspended as the result of a Driving While License Revoked conviction or Speeding conviction.

For more information contact Attorneys David T. Courie, Sr., Mark L. Hearp, or Cristina S. Quantock at 910-323-4600 or 910-875-3379.

Driving While Impaired under North Carolina General Statute § 20-138.1 requires proof of the following four factors: A person must (1) drive (2) a vehicle (3) on a public street, highway, or public vehicular area (4a) while under the influence of an impairing substance, or (4b) after consuming a sufficient quantity of alcohol that he has, at any relevant time after the driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or (4c) with any amount of a Schedule I controlled substance, as listed in G.S. 90-89, or its metabolites in his blood or urine.

If convicted of Driving While Impaired in the State of North Carolina, a person faces five (5) different levels of punishment depending upon his particular factual scenario. After conviction, a Judge will determine whether any Grossly Aggravating, Aggravating or Mitigating Factors apply to the case. The existence or lack thereof of these factors will determine the appropriate level of punishment issued by the Court.

North Carolina General Statute § 20-179 provides for the following punishments:

Irregardless of the level of punishment received, a Driving While Impaired conviction will result in the loss of one’s license for at least one (1) year. However, some people will qualify for a limited driving privilege depending upon the level of punishment received and specific facts of the case. This limited driving privilege will enable someone to drive to work, school, and perhaps even for household purposes.

For more information contact Attorneys David T. Courie, Sr., Mark L. Hearp, or Cristina S. Quantock at 910-323-4600 or 910-875-3379.

The firm was originally founded by Jerry Beaver over 40 years ago and has built and maintained a reputation for excellence in the areas of criminal defense, traffic and DWI defense, serious personal injury and other complex civil litigation. It is an “A rated” firm by Martindale Hubbell, displaying “the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards” and has been chosen for U.S. News and World Report Magazine’s “Best Law Firms” classification for the past four years.

On the new corporate name and brand, nationally honored and founding partner Jerry Beaver said “the additional names and the brand Beaver Courie is not new to the people of Cumberland, Hoke and Moore Counties. It is our community’s support of this firm and these lawyers that makes this growth and rebranding an obvious decision. Our firm has and continues to be devoted to providing the best legal representation and client services. This is an ideal way to recognize unique performance and our future. David [Courie] has built a local and statewide reputation for his ability as a trial attorney and problem solver, particularly in criminal defense. As a result, he has developed a sizable and loyal client base over the past 17 years which continues to grow. Similarly, Mark Hearp and Hal Broadfoot have proven themselves in the firm and throughout the community as “go to” attorneys in criminal defense and personal injury, respectively. This rebranding reconfirms Beaver Courie’s presence and staying power in the practice of law and in this community for years to come. We are growing and will continue to do so with proven, local attorneys devoted to getting our clients results.”

Senior Partner David Courie explains, “Our firm is fortunate to enjoy a great history and a brilliant future. This good fortune and planning continues with this expansion. Although it’s the high profile cases that make the news, movies and papers, we spend most of our days fighting for our hardworking clients from here in Fayetteville, Raeford, Pinehurst, Fort Bragg, Spring Lake and Hope Mills. Our clients are our neighbors, our friends, and our military. These are the people that foster and ensure our growth and future. We never lose sight of that.”

Beaver Courie has brought on two additional lawyers recently and a number of new legal support staff with additional growth planned for the immediate future.

Beaver Courie has over 120 combined years of legal experience available to help clients in need of legal help. Their attorneys regularly practice criminal defense, traffic and DWI law, personal injury and other complex civil litigation in all levels of State and Federal court throughout the region.

Beaver Courie’s expanding corporate name and branding has been done in partnership with 219 Group. 219 Group is a full service marketing and advertising agency located in Fayetteville North Carolina. 219 Group has been involved every step of the way with website, logo, clothing and paper product creation.