No! And the fact is, you may not be able to. There is really no telling how long it may take for a criminal case to play out. In the meantime, when you’re injured by a drunk driver, you have medical bills to deal with, missed time at work, and bills to pay.
Criminal courts and civil courts are not dependent on each other. Furthermore, the longer you wait, the more you may risk your case for three distinct reasons.
There is a statute of limitations in North Carolina, so you must file your case within three years of the date of your injury (two years if a death is involved).
The longer you wait to investigate and file your case, the harder it can be to gather necessary evidence – especially if you aren’t getting medical treatment.
While you may not be gathering that evidence and building a case, the insurance company certainly is, and they may to do everything they can to limit what they pay you.