Our Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, and Pawleys Island automobile accident lawyers have recovered millions of dollars in automobile and truck collision cases for people like you. Our law firm handles Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Pawleys Island automobile accident cases on a contingency fee. There is no fee or cost to you unless you receive compensation.
If you are looking to find an experienced South Carolina automobile accident lawyer, want to know how to get as much money as possible in a settlement or jury payout, and how much that compensation might be, you have come to the right place.
This page helps you better understand settlement compensation payouts in area accident cases and explains what our South Carolina auto accident attorneys do to maximize verdicts and settlement amounts for our clients.
A Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, or Pawleys Island Car Accident Claim Is About Compensation
Any injury claim aims to get compensation for the harm done to you. You wish the crash had never occurred. But now you also want as much compensation as the law allows for the medical expenses, lost wages, pain, and suffering, and other harms and losses you have suffered.
This is what our South Carolina accident lawyers will do for you. We fight with our power and experience to help you get the maximum compensation possible. Our law firm's track record of settlements and verdicts demonstrates our history of doing this in Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, and Pawleys Island automobile accidents.
Damages for an Auto Accident
Under South Carolina auto tort law, a negligent driver who causes an accident can be held liable for all the harm caused by the accident. Injury victims in South Carolina auto accident claims are entitled to recover damages for the following:
Lost Income
South Carolina personal injury plaintiffs are entitled to compensation for any wages or income lost from injuries sustained in the automobile crash. This includes both past and future lost wages/income. Lost income is also available for some family members in wrongful death cases.
Medical Expenses from Car Accidents
Plaintiffs can recover damages from the at-fault party's insurance company for any past or future medical expenses incurred due to the accident. South Carolina follows the collateral source rule. This rule allows claimants to recover damages for all medical expenses even if the medical bills were covered by insurance, most notably, personal injury protection (PIP) coverage.
Pain and Suffering in Car Accidents
Our lawyers think pain and suffering is what injury cases are really about. Pain and suffering is the most significant harm in any accident case. This is money to compensate the automobile accident victim of a motor vehicle accident for the amount of physical and mental suffering caused by their injuries. The more severe and painful the injury, the more pain and suffering damages. The judge or jury determines pain and suffering damages if a case goes to trial.
How Long Do You Have to File a Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, or Pawleys Island Automobile Accident Lawsuit?
South Carolina imposes a time limit on how long prospective plaintiffs can wait before filing a personal injury lawsuit. So there is a limited about of time to formalize a claim. This type of legal filing deadline is known as a statute of limitations. The plaintiff loses the right to file if the claim is not filed before the limitation deadline expires. In South Carolina, personal injury lawsuits are generally subject to a 3-year statute of limitations.
This means that in most Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, or Pawleys Island automobile accident claims, the injured person must file their personal injury claim within three years from the date of the accident or they will be legally barred from filing.
How Much of a Car Accident Settlement Amount Can I Expect?
The value of a car accident case in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, or Pawleys Island varies depending on the type of injuries.
- Light or Minor Injuries (e.g., back strains, soft tissue, headaches) $10,000 ↔ $50,000
- Moderate Injuries (e.g., broken leg, ruptured spleen) $50,000 ↔ $200,000
- Serious or Major Injuries (e.g., death, brain injury) $200,000 ↔ $10,000,000
Remember, these are average settlement compensation payouts. Your case may be higher or lower than the average compensation amounts depending upon the facts of your claim.
How Is a Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, or Pawleys Island Car Accident Settlement Calculated?
A settlement in a car accident case is usually calculated by adding together three essential elements of the plaintiff's losses: (1) medical expenses; (2) lost income; and (3) pain and suffering.
How Much Do Charleston, Georgetown, chMyrtle Beach, and Pawleys Island Car Accident Lawyers Charge?
The best auto accident lawyers in South Carolina work on a contingency fee basis. You should be skeptical if a motor vehicle accident attorney wants to charge you by the hour. Because that is not how car accident lawyers in Maryland typically handle these claims. You want the attorney fighting for you to have a vested interest in your cases.
A contingency fee agreement means the law firm gets a percentage of any money they recover for you in your motor vehicle accident case. While rates are not fixed, a typical contingency fee agreement in a South Carolina accident case is 33.333% if a case ends in settlement and 40% if a personal injury lawsuit is filed.
Car Accident Injuries
Motor vehicle collisions can potentially result in almost any type of physical injury ranging from minor bruising to fatal head trauma. Our car accident lawyers in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Pawleys Island see the same motor vehicle accident injuries over and over.
Back Injuries in Auto Accidents
Car accidents are the leading cause of back injuries, accounting for approximately 63% of all reported cases of a lingering injury to the back.
Our attorneys see a lot of spinal injuries in the back. After whiplash-type injuries, the most common back injury we see from an auto accident is a herniated disc. Disc herniations occur when the outer casing of the disc tears or ruptures, allowing the soft gel-like tissue inside to bulge out. This injury is often called a “slipped” or “bulging” disc.
Shoulder Injuries in Auto Accidents
Shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries from an auto accident. A torn rotator cuff is the type of shoulder injury that occurs most frequently. The rotator cuff is a grouping of 4 interconnected tendons and muscles that form a “cuff” around the upper arm and connect to the shoulder blade.
The sole function of the rotator cuff is to keep the shoulder ball and joint secure in the socket while the shoulder moves. The sudden force of a car accident frequently causes a tear or rupture of the tendons and tissue within the rotator cuff.
Bone Fractures in Auto Accidents
Orthopedic fractures (broken bones) are another injury frequently resulting from auto accidents. Most auto accident injuries our Baltimore accident lawyers see directly result from the sudden stopping and resulting whiplash movement of occupants.
However, bone fractures are somewhat different because an actual physical impact usually causes them. Impacts with a seat belt, airbag, steering wheel, or other objects during an accident usually lead to broken bones.
Brain Injuries in Auto Accidents
Brain and head injuries are also prevalent in car accidents. Most traumatic brain injuries do not involve any impact to the head but are caused by the so-called whiplash movement of occupants within the car.
Brain damage also occurs from impact to the head and skull during a crash. The brain is the most crucial organ in the body, so brain damage is the most serious of all the common auto accident injuries. Injuries to the head and brain are the primary cause of death in most auto accident fatalities.
Hiring Our South Carolina Car Accident Law Firm
If you have been seriously injured in a motorcyclemotorcycle, truck, or vehicular crash in South Carolina, you need to find a car accident attorney in the Charleston, Myrtle Beach, or Pawleys Island area with the skills and ability to best maximize the value of your claim, either by settlement or trial. Before choosing an attorney, look at whether they have the credentials and experience to handle your case and get you the compensation you deserve for what you have endured.
There are important questions to ask. Does the firm focus exclusively on tort cases and, specifically, serious motor vehicle crashes? Does the law firm have a history of seven-figure results in the courtroom and out-of-court settlements in car and truck collision cases?
Does the firm have a history of getting results in the courtroom far more than the settlement offer? Indeed, the insurer fighting your claim knows precisely who the top South Carolina auto accident lawyers are. They bake in your South Carolina car accident lawyers' history of success at trial in calculating your settlement offer both before and after a lawsuit is filed.
It is a crucial choice. If you have been seriously hurt, you need counsel with the experience to sort through your complicated legal and medical issues and stand up to the insurance companies and get financial compensation. You need a law practice that will exhaust every possible means of recovery.
If you have been hurt in a traffic accident, the insurance company is building a claim against you as you read this page. You need a personal injury attorney in your corner to fight back.
We serve the entire state of South Carolina, but routinely handle cases in Andrews, Beaufort, Conway, Charleston, Georgetown, Goose Creek, Hanahan, James Island, Johns Island, Kingstree, Ladson, Moncks Corner, Mount Pleasant, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach, North Charleston, North Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island, Summerville, Surfside Beach, and Walterboro.
Call (843) 314-4202 to speak to a South Carolina auto accident attorney specializing in handling these personal injury claims or get a free online no-obligation consultation. Find out if the Hopkins Law Firm has the lawyers for you.
