35°29′N 77°29′W · 17 counties
Car and Truck Accident Attorney for Eastern North Carolina
If you were hurt in a crash anywhere in Eastern North Carolina, I can come to you. The first conversation is a phone or video call. After that I meet you in person at your home or in a hospital, and that meeting is where we decide whether to work together.
Eastern North Carolina is crossed by freight corridors. I-95 runs north and south through it, and U.S. 70 runs east to the Port of Morehead City.
This page covers those corridors and the routes that feed them, what changes when a State vehicle was at fault, ECU Medical Center in Greenville, how three Patrol troops and the Greenville police handle crash reports, and the first conversation.
01
I-95, the I-42 bypasses and U.S. 70 to the Morehead City port
I-95 through Wilson, Nash, Halifax and Northampton
I-95 runs through Wilson, Nash, Halifax and Northampton counties. In Nash County, NCDOT reconfigured Exit 145 at N.C. 4 to better handle commercial truck traffic, and in Halifax County the interstate passes Roanoke Rapids. North of there it crosses Northampton County.
U.S. 70 and Interstate 42
U.S. 70 connects Raleigh to the Port of Morehead City through Smithfield, Goldsboro, Kinston and Havelock. NCDOT says the corridor is heavily used for moving freight and connects to two military bases just off the highway.
Its bypass segments in Johnston, Wayne and Lenoir counties now carry the Interstate 42 designation, the Havelock Bypass opened in December 2025 with the next segment east of it underway, and the highway runs a few miles south of the North Carolina Global TransPark.
I-587, U.S. 17, U.S. 64 and I-40
I-587 runs on U.S. 264 between I-95 in Wilson and the N.C. 11 interchange in Greenville, and NCDOT treats the stretch of U.S. 264 from I-95 west to Zebulon as the remaining part of the I-587 corridor. The U.S. 17 Bypass through Jones County ties into the New Bern bypass, U.S. 64 crosses Edgecombe County to the Martin County line, and I-40 runs through Sampson and Duplin past the rest area near Warsaw.
A crash where a farm road or a two-lane state highway meets a four-lane freight route is a different case from a crash in city traffic.
When a tractor-trailer is involved, the truck accident page explains what changes.
02
A State vehicle at fault goes to the Industrial Commission
A claim against a North Carolina State department or agency does not start in a county courthouse. Under G.S. 143-291(a), the North Carolina Industrial Commission sits as the court for those tort claims, and it decides whether each claim arose from the negligence of a State employee acting within the scope of the job.
A State vehicle
The Industrial Commission hears the claim. G.S. 143-299.2 caps what the State pays all claimants for injury to one person from a single occurrence at $1,000,000, reduced by any commercial liability insurance the State bought that applies to the claim.
A federal vehicle
A different process applies, starting with a written claim to the federal agency under 28 U.S.C. 2675(a). The Sandhills page explains it.
Exception. G.S. 143-291(a) has the Commission set damages only after it finds the State employee's negligence was the proximate cause of the injury and finds no contributory negligence on the part of the claimant.
After a crash with a government vehicle, the first question is which government owned it.
03
ECU Medical Center in Greenville, the Level I center in these counties
ECU Medical Center in Greenville is the one hospital in these seventeen counties on the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services list of designated trauma centers. The list places it at Level I, with an initial designation in 1985.
| Hospital, as the state lists it | City | Level, as listed |
|---|---|---|
| ECU Medical Center | Greenville | Level I |
The same list notes American College of Surgeons verification for Maynard's Children's Hospital at ECU Medical Center as a Level I pediatric center.
The list is a record of designated hospitals. It does not tell you where any one injured person in Kinston or Rocky Mount is taken.
Outside these counties, the same list names WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh at Level I, Novant New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington at Level II and Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune at Level III.
04
Which Patrol troop wrote the report in your eastern county?
The seventeen counties on this page split among three State Highway Patrol troops, according to the troop pages at ncshp.gov.
| Patrol troop | Headquarters | Counties on this page |
|---|---|---|
| Troop A | Greenville | Pitt, Martin, Beaufort, Craven, Pamlico, Lenoir, Jones, Carteret |
| Troop C | Raleigh | Nash, Edgecombe, Wayne, Wilson, Greene, Halifax, Northampton |
| Troop B | Fayetteville | Duplin, Sampson |
Inside Troop A, Pitt shares a Patrol district with Martin, Craven shares one with Pamlico, Lenoir shares one with Jones, and Carteret has one to itself. Troop C pairs Nash with Edgecombe, Wilson with Greene and Halifax with Northampton, and gives Wayne its own district.
G.S. 20-166.1(e) gives the investigating officer 24 hours to write the report, and the report carries information on financial responsibility for the vehicle driven by the person the officer identified as at fault.
Inside or outside city limits
A Patrol first sergeant said in an NCDPS interview that a crash outside city limits typically falls to the Patrol, while a city police department most likely responds inside its own limits.
The investigating agency's copy
In Greenville, the police post crash reports on eCrash Online, searchable by report number, crash date, driver's name or street, with protected information removed. The Records window is at 500 South Greene Street.
The Division's certified copy
G.S. 20-166.1(i) has the Division give a certified copy of a law enforcement crash report to a member of the public who asks and pays the G.S. 20-42 fee, which is $6.50 for an accident report.
05
Meeting in Rocky Mount, Kinston or a Greenville hospital room
After the first phone or video conversation, I come to you in Rocky Mount or Kinston or wherever you are, including a hospital room in Greenville, and we decide in that meeting whether to work together. Graham is a long way from most of these counties, which is the reason the meeting happens where you are.
Graham is a long way from most of these counties, which is the reason the meeting happens where you are.
06
Your first conversation from the east, in Spanish if easier
If Spanish is easier for you, Lorena Meza on our staff speaks Spanish and can start that conversation. Otherwise call 336-221-8900 or email julian@juliandobylaw.com, and both reach the firm's one office in Graham.
City pages
Eastern North Carolina cities with their own pages
Each city page names its police department, its courthouse and its newest crash figures, with a page on getting the crash report.
| County | Courthouse | Superior Court district | District Court district | People killed, 2024 | Yearly average, 2014 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort | Beaufort County Courthouse 112 W Second St, Washington, NC 27889 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 |
| Carteret | Carteret County Courthouse 300 Courthouse Square, Beaufort, NC 28516 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 9 |
| Craven | Craven County Courthouse 302 Broad St, New Bern, NC 28560 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 14 |
| Duplin | Duplin County Courthouse 112 Duplin St., Kenansville, NC 28349 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 18 |
| Edgecombe | Edgecombe County Courthouse 301 St Andrews St., Tarboro, NC 27886 | 8BC | 8 | 15 | 12 |
| Greene | Greene County Courthouse 301 N Greene St., Snow Hill, NC 28580 | 9A | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| Halifax | Halifax County Courthouse 357 Ferrell Lane, Halifax, NC 27839 | 7A | 7 | 12 | 15 |
| Jones | Jones County Courthouse 101 Market St, Trenton, NC 28585 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Lenoir | Lenoir County Courthouse 130 S Queen St, Kinston, NC 28501 | 9A | 9 | 15 | 13 |
| Martin | Martin County Governmental Center 305 E Main St, Williamston, NC 27892 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Nash | Nash County Courthouse 234 W Washington St, Nashville, NC 27856 | 8A | 8 | 13 | 25 |
| Northampton | Northampton County Courthouse 128 East Jefferson St, Jackson, NC 27845 | 7B | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Pamlico | Pamlico County Courthouse 202 Main St, Bayboro, NC 28515 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Pitt | Pitt County Courthouse 100 W Third St, Greenville, NC 27834 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 27 |
| Sampson | Sampson County Courthouse 101 E. Main St, Clinton, NC 28328 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 19 |
| Wayne | Wayne County Courthouse 224 E. Walnut St, Room 230, Goldsboro, NC 27530 | 9B | 9 | 22 | 21 |
| Wilson | Wilson County Courthouse 115 E Nash St, Wilson, NC 27894 | 8BC | 8 | 22 | 16 |
Courthouses and districts: North Carolina Judicial Branch, verified October 18, 2026; districts as realigned January 1, 2024. Deaths: 2024 North Carolina Traffic Crash Facts, NCDMV, table "Fatalities by County: 10 Year Trend," the newest edition posted; the printed yearly average covers 2014 to 2023. A case is not always filed in the county where the crash happened.
All 100 counties · from the Graham office
Eastern North Carolina on the map
Tap a highlighted county for its card, or any county in the state.
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About the attorney
Julian Doby, attorney since 1998
Julian Doby has been admitted to practice in North Carolina since 1998, North Carolina State Bar No. 25407, and he represents injured people across the state. His one office is at 110 W. Elm Street in Graham. He meets clients across the state after a first conversation by phone or video.
More about JulianSources and verification (21)
- NCDOT, I-95 Planning and Finance Study public hearing handout, county recommendations, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, I-95 Improvements Coming to Nash County, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, Highway improvement in Halifax County, Roanoke Rapids, October 17, 2018, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, U.S. 70 Corridor Improvements, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, Interstate 42 Coming to U.S. 70 Corridor, March 16, 2022, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, New signs for Future I-587, July 27, 2022, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, U.S. 17 Bypass lanes opening in Jones and Onslow counties, June 19, 2019, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, U.S. 64 repaving in Edgecombe County, June 2, 2023, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, I-40 improvements in Sampson County, February 26, 2019, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDOT, I-40 contract awarded in Duplin and Pender counties, August 30, 2019, verified October 18, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-291(a), ncleg.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-299.2(a), ncleg.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
- 28 U.S.C. 2675(a), U.S. Code, govinfo.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
- NC Office of Emergency Medical Services, designated trauma centers list (page updated August 26, 2026), verified October 18, 2026.
- NC State Highway Patrol, Troop A, Greenville, verified October 18, 2026.
- NC State Highway Patrol, Troop C, Raleigh, verified October 18, 2026.
- NC State Highway Patrol, Troop B, Fayetteville, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDPS, Safety Scoop transcript, SHP Answers Top Questions from Motorists, Season 4, Episode 2, verified October 18, 2026.
- City of Greenville, Police Reports, verified October 18, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-166.1(e) and (i), ncleg.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-42(b), ncleg.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
Talk first. Then I can come to you.
Call or send a visit request. We start by phone or video.