Personal injury law can be complex to the average person. While you rest and recover from your injury, allow our personal injury lawyers in Summerville to assist you in filing a claim to recover financial compensation from the negligent party responsible.
You should never pay for the damages caused by your personal injury accident on your own. We will help you get started and inform you about all the legal options available to you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Miller, Dawson, Sigal & Ward and learn more about your rights here.
Why Is It Important to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Summerville?
No law requires you to hire a Summerville personal injury attorney to assist you in filing a claim. However, you shouldn’t take that to mean that it is not in your best interest to hire a lawyer to help you throughout the process.
Filing and fighting for a fair settlement is extremely difficult to do without any legal experience. It’s best to get a lawyer to provide assistance to you during this challenging time.
Comparative Fault Laws in South Carolina
The Official Code of South Carolina Annotated (OCSCA) §15-38-15 states that you must be less than 50% responsible for the accident that caused your personal injury. This law is known as comparative fault.
When you file a claim, the insurance company and the at-fault party will try and shift the blame towards you. In doing so, you could end up with a reduced settlement or without any chance to file a claim. To ensure the strength of your claim, you will need to prove negligence during negotiation or at trial.
How a Summerville Personal Injury Attorney Can Help You Prove Negligence
When it comes to proving negligence, you shouldn’t have to do it alone. Insurance companies have many lawyers and legal resources at their disposal to try and absolve themselves of any responsibility to pay you compensation.
Our personal injury attorneys in Summerville won’t let that happen. We can:
- Gather evidence for your claim on your behalf
- Talk to witnesses and obtain their statements
- Get supporting testimony from s in various fields to support your claim
- Ensure that privacy is maintained and handle all communications with other parties
- Answer all your legal questions and provide prompt legal guidance
- Represent your best interests both in court and during negotiations
As you can see, our personal injury lawyers do much more than just file paperwork for you. As a client, our lawyers will go above and beyond to fight hard for the maximum amount of compensation for your claim.
Types of Cases Handled by Personal Injury Lawyer
At Miller, Dawson, Sigal & Ward, we have years of experience handling a wide variety of personal injury cases, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bus accidents
- Catastrophic injury
- Slip and fall accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Product liability
- Premises liability
- Dog bites
- Workers’ compensation
- Pedestrian accidents
- Nursing home abuse
This list is not exhaustive. If you have suffered any form of personal injury, reach out to our team today. We know what it takes to get you fair compensation for any form of personal injury.
What Damages Are Eligible for Compensation?
As long as your damages result from your personal injury, our lawyers can factor them into your settlement. While the following list is not exhaustive, here are a few of the most common damages that we see.
Medical Expenses
The price of medical care in Summerville isn’t cheap. Something like a broken arm or leg can cost several thousands of dollars. If you need physical therapy or prescriptions, the costs can quickly add up.
You shouldn’t get punished financially for seeking medical care for your injury. We will work hard to see that you get reimbursed for all your expenses and receive compensation to cover any future medical costs associated with your injury.
Property Damages
If you were in a motor vehicle accident that led to your injury, the chances are that your car will be damaged too. Replacing or repairing a vehicle or other personal property you own can cost a lot of money. Therefore, your settlement can also reflect the costs of any property damages you sustained as well as your injury.
Lost Wages
You can get reimbursed for any of your lost wages. You don’t have to lose out on pay just because you took time off to heal and recover. Our personal injury lawyers can get you the money you would’ve earned if you didn’t get injured.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering damages can vary wildly from case to case. However, we know that your personal injury can take a heavy toll on your life and negatively impact it for years or permanently. While money can’t fix everything, it can give you the financial cushion you need to press forward and move on from the accident that caused you injury.
Additional Punitive Damages You Can Claim
OCSCA § 15-32-510 states that personal injury victims can recover a reward for punitive damages in cases where the at-fault party was extremely negligent or intentionally trying to cause harm. While there’s no guarantee that your case can qualify, our Summerville personal injury lawyers will look into it and see if your case meets the criteria.
What Will My Settlement Total Be?
Unfortunately, there’s no accurate way to tell how much your settlement will be unless we look at all the circumstances surrounding it. Personal injury cases vary so much that there’s no real way to give an approximate average. To find out more about how much your settlement could be worth, it’s necessary to consult with one of our personal injury lawyers in Summerville.
Be Wary of Settlement Offers From Insurance Companies
Insurance companies love to play the good guys in their commercials. They are often portrayed as your friendly neighbors, just looking to help you out in tough times. Unfortunately, the reality is far bleaker. What insurance companies really care about is money, and they will do everything they can to avoid paying out a claim or minimize the amount they do pay.
Insurance adjusters have many tactics that they use to justify denying a claim or tricking injury victims into accepting less than what they deserve. One of the things they often do is offer an accident victim a lowball settlement before they even have a chance to file a claim.
These companies know that this is when you are at your most vulnerable as you likely have not yet hired a lawyer and are probably still in a state of shock from the incident.
The best way to protect yourself is to decline to speak to insurance companies or entertain any settlement deals until you have hired an attorney. Once you have a lawyer, the insurance company will have to go through them rather than approach you directly.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim in South Carolina?
You generally have three years to file a claim for personal injury in Summerville. However, keep in mind that this is only a basic timeframe. Some personal injury cases may have more or less time depending on the type of case.
Regardless, it’s best to act fast and get legal assistance so that you can move forward without much risk. As time passes, it will become more difficult to win a settlement.
How Much Will It Cost to Hire a Summerville Personal Injury Lawyer?
Our Summerville personal injury attorneys will charge you nothing upfront for any of our services. Instead, we operate on a contingency fee basis. This means that you only pay us if we can recover compensation on your behalf. If we can’t do this, you owe us nothing.
Schedule an Appointment for a Free Consultation Today
Don’t wait to schedule an appointment for a risk-free consultation with no obligations. Our results speak for themselves. The Summerville personal injury lawyers at Miller, Dawson, Sigal & Ward have recovered millions for our clients over the years.
So, allow us to help you fight for your claim today. We are available online or over the phone 24/7 to help. Call us or contact us online today.