South Carolina Car Accident Lawyers
An accident that might appear to be a minor car accident may lead to severe injuries and high repair costs in South Carolina. A car accident can result in personal injury ranging from whiplash, broken bones, strain to ligaments or tendons, and discs in the back and neck to more permanent injuries, including paralysis, and even wrongful death. You should always seek legal advice from an experienced Columbia, South Carolina car accident lawyer to see if you have a case for compensation.
As a result, a car accident case is not simple. Many people, including attorney after attorney, regard a car accident case as run-of-the-mill. That is rarely the case when auto accidents occur. Each accident is unique with various factors impacting which driver was at fault and the severity of the medical damages that people involved received.
Every car accident attorney at Strom Law Firm, L.L.C., understands what it takes to protect the rights of victims injured in car accidents before and throughout your legal case. Let a car accident lawyer in South Carolina stand for you and help you get the compensation you deserve.
First Steps After A Car Accident in South Carolina
The events following a car accident can be overwhelming and stressful for the individuals who were driving and who got injured in South Carolina. Medical injuries from a car accident can be costly, insurance difficult to work with, and legal implications challenging. It’s important to always remain calm to protect you, your passengers, and your car from further damage from the accident. Ensure everyone’s safety in the car before thinking of contacting your insurance company and a South Carolina car accident lawyer.
If there are injuries to you or other passengers in the car, call 911 immediately after the car accident and report those injuries. Failure to contact emergency personnel after auto or truck accidents could result in additional injuries. If you are able, after the vehicle accident, exchange information including driver’s license, registration, insurance information, and phone numbers with the other drivers involved in the accident.
Refrain from discussing the details of the auto accident and do not say anything at all that could be construed as admitting fault for an accident. Whether you are at fault or the accident was caused by another driver, admitting fault for the accident will complicate your legal case. Take pictures of the car accident. Make a note of any injuries and damage to the car from the accident. This information will be beneficial when you work with an auto accident attorney on your legal case and seek compensation for damages.
Causes of South Carolina Traffic and Car Accidents
The Insurance Institute for Highway and Safety (NHTSA) stated that there were more than 824 fatal car accidents in South Carolina in 2014. Even with today’s greater emphasis on safety, car accidents continue to occur in South Carolina. The most common causes of South Carolina auto driving accidents include:
Speeding Car Accident
- The NHTSA reports that speed is one of the most common factors in car accidents; in 2020, speed was a contributing factor in 29% of car accident fatalities. According to the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.), teen drivers are more likely to speed than adult drivers, and male teens are more likely to speed compared with their female driver counterparts. Speeding is not always a willful act, either–many times, it is a result of our next cause of accidents, distracted driving. Drivers who are busy having a conversation or trying to answer a message on their phone may not realize they are driving many MPH over the speed limit. This, combined with increasingly heavy traffic (especially in major urban areas), is a recipe for car accidents and injuries. Our auto accident lawyers often work with cases that were a result of speeding.
Distracted Driving Car Accident
- According to the National Safety Council (N.S.C.), more than 25% of all automobile accidents are related to distracted drivers using their cell phones, whether by talking on the phone or texting. Of course, texting isn’t the only cause of accidents and distracted driving. Simply having a smart phone constantly beeping away with notifications and GPS directions is enough to cause many drivers to become distracted when in traffic. Even though the government of South Carolina outlawed texting while driving in 2014, this has done little to lessen the public’s problem with distracted driving.Furthermore, teens who are often ferrying their friends around can easily become distracted by in-car conversations, leading to accidents. The real danger in distracted driving is that because the driver doesn’t realize they are about to collide with another vehicle, they don’t even hit the brakes. This leads to higher-speed accidents that cause greater risk of injury and death. Here at Strom Law, we have seen our fair share of distracted driving compensation claims, and our South Carolina car accident and injury lawyers are ready to help you fight for the compensation you deserve should you become a victim in a distracted driving collision.
Drunk Driving Car Accident
- The NHTSA stated that alcohol was a factor in more than 40% of all vehicle fatalities. Approximately thirty people die every day in the United States from a drunk driving-related accident. Drunk driving accidents in SC can be costly for all individuals involved. Much like the distracted drivers mentioned above, drunk drivers are often so intoxicated, they don’t hit the brakes before impact, thereby increasing the risk of injury and death. In fact, it’s not just drunk driving–driving while under the influence of narcotics has skyrocketed in the last decade. America’s opioid crisis is not only leading to increasing numbers of overdoses, but it’s also a major cause of intoxicated traffic accidents that lead to severe car accident injuries in South Carolina. More worryingly, these accidents may often occur during daylight hours when one would expect most drivers to be sober and driving safely.
Automotive Defects Car Accident
- There are many accidents caused by vehicle defects. In those situations, drivers can recover damages in their case from the companies responsible for the car’s or car parts’ defective design or construction. Common defects include airbags, defective tires, and seatbelt defects. While many people may not know it, hundreds of thousands of tires are recalled each year from nearly all major manufacturers. While some are recalled for mundane reasons like illegible codes, many recalls are issued due to serious traffic accidents occurring as a result of catastrophic tire failure. In another recent case, a major manufacturer of car airbags was forced to recall more than sixty-seven million airbags due to the risk of injury and death caused by flying debris. Of those, more than ten million are estimated to still be in cars on U.S. roads. Sadly, the recall notices often don’t reach the consumer before it’s too late. In cases such as these, the manufacturer should be held responsible, not only to compensate its victims but to set an example for what happens when safety takes a back seat to profits. Here at Strom Law Firm, our South Carolina car accident lawyers have experience in obtaining compensation for victims of automotive defects and are standing by to assist you with your legal case.
Common Types of Car Accident Injuries
Depending on the severity of the accident, victims can experience minor or major injuries, from scrapes and cuts to brain damage. Here are some of the most common injuries from traffic accidents:
Whiplash
Whiplash is an injury that occurs when muscles and ligaments are stretched when the head is quickly jerked forward and backward, which usually happens during rear-end or high-speed accidents. Its symptoms typically set within twenty-four hours of a car accident, manifesting as limited range of motion or pain in the neck, headaches, or fatigue. Whether it’s the driver or a passenger in the vehicle, anyone can experience whiplash in a car wreck.
Back Injuries
Back or spinal cord injuries that result from car accidents can include anything from back strains or sprains to spinal fractures. These will vary depending on where the injury occurred and the severity of the accident, but common symptoms are back pain, weakness in the legs, limited mobility in the spine, and loss of bladder or bowel control.
Head Injuries
Car accidents are one of the main causes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States. Those who experience head or brain damage during an accident can suffer cognitively, behaviorally, and physically, depending on the seriousness of the injury. The most severe cases leave victims unable to live life independently due to lasting brain damage.
Broken Bones and Fractures
Depending on the nature of the car accident, victims’ limbs might be bruised, sprained, or broken. These cause swelling, severe pain, or limited mobility of a person’s arms or legs and can worsen to nerve and tissue damage or permanent loss of movement. The tricky part is that some of these injuries might not appear immediately after a car accident; they could take days, weeks, or even months to show up. It can be difficult to know if these types of injuries were caused by the accident. Working with an experienced car accident attorney can help you determine what medical injuries can be attributed to the accident.
Scrapes and Cuts
Most car accident victims end up with scrapes and cuts because they get hit by loose items in their car, such as phones, glasses, dash cams, etc. They can also experience the same from the deployment of their car’s airbags. Most scrapes and cuts are relatively minor, but some of them are serious enough to require stitches or other medical attention.
If you have experienced any of these injuries in an accident, you can get help from a South Carolina auto accident lawyer. A car accident attorney will help you pursue legal action, determine which driver was at fault, and received compensation for your medical expenses. Car accidents in South Carolina shouldn’t be taken lightly, and a lawyer can help protect your rights.
Common Types of Car Accident Damages
If you’re a victim of a car accident, especially one who has suffered injuries, you can claim damages with the help of car accident attorneys from Strom Law Firm. Here are some of the common damages you can collect compensation for:
Medical Costs
Car accident injuries can incur expensive medical bills. These medical expenses can include hospitalization costs, medication expenses, and even therapy bills. You can typically recover these losses through insurance or a personal injury lawsuit. A car accident lawyer in SC will fight for the compensation you deserve.
Lost Earnings
If your car accident prevented you from working or disabled you from working, then you can recover the wages or bonuses you would’ve earned or the amount owed to you for a reduced earning capacity.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering damages can include mental anguish, lower quality of life, and even damage to one’s reputation. Pain and suffering can be harder to improve in court than medical damages, so it would be valuable to consult with a car accident lawyer who can help you navigate your legal options in SC.
No matter what type of car accident you were in, a South Carolina car accident attorney can help with your car accident claims. Our qualified and expert South Carolina car accident attorneys can represent you in court and help you receive compensation for your injuries. Car accident victims deserve the best lawyer to represent their SC case.
