The multiplier method with North Carolina's actual rules applied: contributory negligence, any fault can bar recovery, a 3-year filing window. Every statute cited and linked, every line of arithmetic shown.
Based on the multiplier method used by insurers and attorneys. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice. Every claim is different.
North Carolina is one of only four states (plus DC) where being even 1% at fault can bar recovery entirely. The offsets: the last-clear-chance doctrine, the defendant's gross/willful negligence, and children under 7. How fault is framed decides these cases. (Common-law doctrine; see Exum v. Boyles, 272 N.C. 567 (1968))
3 years for personal injury (N.C.G.S. §1-52(16)). The clock is jurisdictional. One day late and no court will hear the case.
At-fault state, no PIP.
Minimum liability coverage: 50/100/50, meaning $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, $50,000 property damage (raised for policies effective on/after July 1, 2025, the highest minimums of any Tier-1 state). (N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2), as amended by S.L. 2023-133) Policy limits are the practical ceiling on most settlements, which is why identifying every available policy (including your own underinsured-motorist coverage) matters.
Contributory negligence massively discounts disputed-liability claims, but clean-liability claims (a rear-end, a DUI defendant) are worth more here than the same case elsewhere, because the new 50/100/50 minimums mean more coverage is actually available. Never concede any fault percentage in an NC claim without advice.
The same multiplier method used everywhere, so (medical bills + lost wages) × a 1.5–5× severity multiplier + property damage. Then North Carolina's fault rule is applied: North Carolina is one of only four states (plus DC) where being even 1% at fault can bar recovery entirely. The offsets: the last-clear-chance doctrine, the defendant's gross/willful negligence, and children under 7. How fault is framed decides these cases. The calculator on this page runs exactly that math and prints every line.
3 years for personal injury (N.C.G.S. §1-52(16)). Miss the deadline and the claim is barred permanently, no matter how strong it is. Claims against government entities often have much shorter notice requirements.
At-fault state, no PIP.
Compensatory damages: No cap in ordinary injury cases. Punitive damages: Greater of 3× compensatory or $250,000, with no cap when the defendant was driving impaired. Medical malpractice: Non-economic damages capped (inflation-indexed, roughly $500k+; exceptions for disfigurement/death with gross negligence).
North Carolina's actual PPD formula and current maximum rates, computed line by line.
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