Raleigh anchors North Carolina’s Research Triangle and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Southeast, with pharmaceutical, technology, and distribution sector growth driving a significant increase in commercial freight on I-40, I-440, and US-1. North Carolina’s strict contributory negligence law makes fault analysis especially consequential in truck accident cases here. Below are five highly rated law firms in Raleigh that handle truck accident and personal injury cases.
1. Edwards Kirby
About the Firm: Edwards Kirby is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm led by former U.S. Senator John Edwards and attorney David Kirby, two of the nation’s most respected Civil Trial Attorneys. Backed by decades of experience and record-setting results, the firm handles complex truck accident cases involving tractor-trailers, serious injuries, and wrongful death. They offer free consultations and serve clients throughout Raleigh, Durham, and all of North Carolina.
Services:
- Tractor-trailer and 18-wheeler accidents
- Wrongful death
- Catastrophic injury cases
- Multi-party trucking liability
- Expert accident reconstruction and financial analysis
Address: Raleigh, NC (contact for office address)
Phone: (919) 780-5400
Website: https://www.edwardskirby.com/truck-accidents/
2. Nagle & Associates, P.A.
About the Firm: Nagle & Associates has recovered more than $500 million on behalf of accident victims in North Carolina. Founder Carl Nagle brings a unique insider perspective, having previously worked for the insurance industry as an adjuster and defense attorney. The firm refuses to install voicemail and guarantees immediate return calls, with a 30-day case review calendar to ensure clients always have updates. They have over 20 years of experience statewide.
Services:
- Semi-truck and commercial vehicle accidents
- Insurance company negotiation and litigation
- Wrongful death
- North Carolina contributory negligence defense
- Catastrophic injury claims
Address: Raleigh, NC (contact for office address)
Phone: (919) 433-0035
Website: https://www.naglefirm.com/raleigh-truck-accident-lawyer/
3. Hardison & Cochran
About the Firm: Hardison & Cochran is a well-known Raleigh truck accident law firm representing victims of tractor-trailer accidents throughout North Carolina. The firm handles evidence preservation, driver and truck record review, and insurance negotiations on behalf of injured clients. They serve Wake County, Durham, Cary, Fayetteville, Greenville, Greensboro, Wilmington, and the broader Triangle region.
Services:
- Tractor-trailer and large truck accidents
- Wrongful death
- Catastrophic and spinal cord injury cases
- Medical cost and lost income recovery
- Insurance adjuster negotiations
Address: Raleigh, NC (contact for office address)
Phone: (800) 434-8399
Website: https://www.lawyernc.com/truck-accident-lawyer/
4. Owens & Miller PLLC
About the Firm: Owens & Miller PLLC is led by accomplished trial lawyers Will Owens and Kimberly Miller, who have handled truck accident cases across North Carolina. Attorney Will Owens is an active member of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (APITLA). The firm acts immediately to preserve black box data, driver logbooks, weight station records, and maintenance records before they can be destroyed. They serve Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Fayetteville, and all of central and eastern North Carolina.
Services:
- 18-wheeler and tractor-trailer accidents
- Electronic control module (black box) data preservation
- FMCSA violation investigations
- Wrongful death
- Evidence preservation before trucking companies destroy records
Address: Raleigh, NC (contact for office address)
Phone: (919) 719-2750
Website: https://owensmiller.com/personal-injury/truck-accidents/
5. Whitley Law Firm
About the Firm: Whitley Law Firm is a dedicated Raleigh truck accident practice that fights for full compensation on behalf of injured victims, whether through settlement or trial. The firm is particularly experienced in defending against North Carolina’s strict contributory negligence rule, which bars recovery if a victim is even 1% at fault, and works hard to place the blame where it belongs. Free confidential case reviews are available statewide.
Services:
- Tractor-trailer and commercial truck accidents
- Contributory negligence defense
- Multi-party trucking liability
- Wrongful death
- Punitive damages in aggravated cases
Address: Raleigh, NC (contact for office address)
Phone: (800) 785-5000
Website: https://whitleylawfirm.com/raleigh/truck-accident-lawyer/
Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accidents in Raleigh, NC
Raleigh’s Research Triangle has become a major technology and pharmaceutical distribution hub, with growing truck traffic on I-40 and US-1. North Carolina still uses pure contributory negligence. How does that create specific challenges for truck accident victims here?
North Carolina’s contributory negligence bar is absolute: any fault assigned to you eliminates recovery entirely. This standard is unusually harsh by national comparison and shapes every aspect of Raleigh truck accident litigation. Defense attorneys for North Carolina carriers enter every case looking for evidence that the injured person was speeding, changed lanes improperly, was distracted, or otherwise contributed in any way to the crash. Plaintiff-side attorneys respond by building airtight liability evidence before filing, because cases that reach trial with any ambiguity about the plaintiff’s conduct face a real risk of zero recovery. The last clear chance doctrine provides a narrow exception, but its application requires showing that the truck driver had an opportunity to avoid the collision after the plaintiff’s negligence had already run its course, which is a factually demanding standard.
The Triangle’s pharmaceutical and biotech companies ship high-value cargo through Raleigh. Does the value or nature of the cargo affect the truck carrier’s liability exposure?
The cargo value does not change the standard negligence analysis for road accidents. Where cargo type matters is when the shipment involved controlled substances requiring DEA chain of custody documentation, hazardous pharmaceutical waste subject to EPA transport regulations, or temperature-sensitive materials requiring specific transport conditions. Violations of any applicable cargo-specific regulations create an additional negligence theory on top of the standard driver negligence claim. Pharmaceutical waste transport violations are particularly significant because they involve multiple regulatory agencies and can implicate both the carrier and the shipper who arranged transport without ensuring compliance. In Raleigh cases, these cargo-specific theories sometimes surface during discovery when the shipper’s shipping manifests and the carrier’s cargo documentation are compared.
What is North Carolina’s statute of limitations for truck accident lawsuits, and does it change if the accident happened near the North Carolina State Fairgrounds or on an NCDOT project?
North Carolina gives you three years from the date of injury under NCGS §1-52(16). Wrongful death claims carry a two-year window under NCGS §28A-18-2. Claims against North Carolina DOT for road maintenance failures follow the North Carolina Tort Claims Act, which routes those claims through the Industrial Commission rather than Superior Court, with a three-year limitations period from the date of injury under NCGS §143-299. The Industrial Commission process is procedurally distinct from regular civil litigation, and attorneys who handle NCDOT claims regularly have specific experience with the Commission’s discovery and hearing procedures. For accidents involving a Wake County vehicle or City of Raleigh truck, a separate notice to the relevant local government entity within the timeframes required by the Local Governmental Employees Tort Liability Act is a prerequisite to filing.
Raleigh sits at the eastern anchor of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, a region that has attracted extensive pharmaceutical, biotech, and semiconductor logistics operations that generate high-value, time-sensitive cargo shipments requiring specialized carriers. The Research Triangle Park itself—the largest research park in the United States by acreage—is served by private road infrastructure maintained by the Research Triangle Foundation rather than NCDOT, and accidents on RTP’s internal road network implicate private premises liability rather than the North Carolina Tort Claims Act. Outside RTP, North Carolina’s pure contributory negligence doctrine applies in Raleigh truck accident cases with the same absolute consequences as in Charlotte: a plaintiff who is found even minimally at fault recovers nothing. Wake County Superior Court handles major injury cases from Raleigh and applies the contributory negligence standard rigorously, which makes expert reconstruction testimony about the plaintiff’s conduct as important as the carrier liability analysis. North Carolina’s three-year personal injury statute under NCGS §1-52(16) provides more time than neighboring South Carolina or Virginia, but NCDOT claims must be filed with the Industrial Commission within the same three-year window, and the Industrial Commission procedures—which function as a separate quasi-judicial forum rather than a standard civil court—require attorneys with specific experience in state tort claims practice.