(803) 200-2000Car Accident Lawyer Columbia, SC
There is a lot to consider when you find yourself in need of a car accident attorney in Columbia, SC. The aftermath of a motor vehicle accident can be a confusing time filled with uncertainty, especially when injuries are involved.
Medical care and treatment comes to the forefront while you attempt to coordinate your new normal. You may be unable to work or have to take time off from work to recover or attend other appointments you never had to before your accident.
We know if you’ve recently been involved in a car accident, you have a seemingly never-ending list of questions – and we want to give you answers. Our car accident attorneys are here to help. Here is useful information if you or someone you care about has recently been involved in an accident on a Columbia, SC roadways.
Table of Contents
- Do I Need a Car Accident Attorney?
- South Carolina Auto Accident Statistics
- Injuries Our Columbia SC Car Accident Lawyers
- Most Common Car Accident Injuries in South Carolina
- What to Do After a Car Accident?
- Choosing The Right Columbia Car Accident Lawyer Near You To Win Your Case
- Car Accident Attorneys Columbia, SC
- What Should I Do If I’m Involved in a Car Accident?
- Columbia Car Accident Lawyers Explain “Fault” in South Carolina
- The Car Accident Claims Process in Columbia, SC
- Reporting to the Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles
- Is There a Time Limit to File a Car Insurance Claim in South Carolina?
- How Do I Settle A Car Accident Claim in Columbia, SC?
- What Is the Average Settlement for a Car Accident Claim in South Carolina?
- Choosing the Right Columbia Car Accident Attorney to Settle Your Case
Get Your Free Case Consultation
Finding a car accident lawyer to stand by your side and fight for your best interests can be an important step to achieving a favorable outcome in the form of maximum compensation for things like your injuries, medical bills, and pain & emotional suffering.
The team at The Jeffcoat Firm has an experienced auto accident attorney near you in South Carolina. We’re ready to review your case and provide a free consultation.
Do I Need a Car Accident Attorney?
Many people wonder if it is really necessary to have the help of an auto accident attorney following a car wreck. Because of the increase in distracted driving cases, it is becoming ever more important to have legal representation in auto accident claims.
Without legal representation, it can be very difficult to determine who was at fault, how serious your injuries are, and what you should receive for your pain and suffering.
If you or someone you care about has been in a motor vehicle accident in Columbia, SC, contact our experienced auto accident lawyers near you right away. Let us work towards providing the best possible outcome for your car accident case and fair compensation for your damages.
While you are recovering from your injuries,, lost income, and possibly surgery or rehabilitation, you may find that the auto insurance companies try to avoid compensating you fully and fairly for your damages.
The insurance companies have lawyers fighting to prevent you from receiving fair & just compensation. It’s important to have a Columbia car accident lawyer on your side during this difficult time that is working for you!
Injuries Our Columbia SC Car Accident Lawyers
It’s important to remember that many injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents can take time to show up. Adrenline is often very high after an accident and can mask how serious your injuries may be. Seeking immediate medical attention, even if your injuries don’t seem serious at first, is an important thing to do following a car accident.
There are a number of injuries that are commonly caused by car accidents, and these are some of the most common ones our Columbia car accident lawyers see accident victims suffering from:
- Wrongful Death
- Brain Injuries
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Concussions
- Spinal Cord Injuries (Quadriplegia/Tetraplegia and Paraplegia)
- Neck & Back Injuries
- Chest Injuries
- Burn Injuries
- Internal Injuries
- Fractured Bones
- Broken Bones
- Facial Injuries
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Wrongful Death
Fatal car accidents are far to common. When a loved one loses their life in an automobile accident, you are may be going through one of the most traumatic experiences of your life. In addition to grieving your loss, you may now be faced with handling all of the logistics and legal matters that come as a direct result of the fatal car crash.
Loved ones of wrongful death victims often find themselves fielding incessant calls from insurance companies for both parties looking to settle matters with you – out of court. All of this can be very overwhelming. Having a wrongful death attorney by your side can help guide you through this process.
Brain Injuries
Brain injuries often result from the sudden stop of the car, causing your brain to continue forward and crash into the skull. Injuries range from mild to severe and can include brain death. Seeking out medical attention soon after the accident may help you recover and heal properly.
According to the National Library of Medicine, around 1.7 million people a year suffer a traumatic brain injury, with adolescents between ages 15 and 19 and adults age 65 and older among the most likely to sustain a traumatic brain injury.
Spinal Cord Injuries (Quadriplegia/Tetraplegia and Paraplegia)
Serious spinal cord injuries that occur in auto accidents can be life-altering in more ways than most people comprehend unless you’ve been affected by this type of injury previously. Having a good lawyer on your side in a car accident case involving a spinal injury may be able to help maximize the legal compensation owed to individual who is injured.
Neck & Back Injuries
Neck and back injuries are commonly caused when the head snaps forward and back, causing strain and nerve damage (whiplash) and where the spine twists or absorbs too much shock and pressure.
Both of these injuries can seem mild, initially, and later turn out to be very serious. Seeking out medical care right away may help you get better as quickly as possible.
Chest Injuries
Car accidents involve massive forces inflicted upon the body, and often times injuries to the upper body and chest, in particular, are quite common in South Carolina car accidents.
Following a car crash, bruises, contusions, and internal bleeding are all common chest injuries. Common chest injuries include the following:
- Bruised or Fractured Ribs
- Punctured Lungs
- Muscle Strain
- Bruised Sternum
- Internal Organ Damage
Chest injuries can range from mild to severe, and car accident victims might not feel pain immediately from a chest injury. Additionally, people suffering from asthma can experience even more difficulty recovering from a chest injury.
Burn Injuries
Car accident victims who incur burn injuries have a deep understanding of pain that hopefully most of us never experience. Although varying in degrees of severity, burn injuries are relatively common in South Carolina car accidents.
According to the CDC, 1.1 million burn injuries require medical attention each year. Of those:
- 50,000 people require hospitalization;
- 20,000 people have major burns that cover at least 25% of their body; and
- 4,500 people die due to burn injuries.
All of these burn injuries do not result from auto accidents on South Carolina roadways, but many do. Burn injuries can be mild, moderate, or severe, and, just like other major injuries, can leave victims suffering life-long damage.
Burn injuries can be catastrophic and may require extensive reconstructive surgical treatment. If you have suffered from a burn injury in a car accident in South Carolina, talk with one of our skilled car accident lawyers near you in Columbia, SC to learn more and see if you may qualify for compensation.
Internal Injuries
When an automobile crash occurs, massive opposing forces can have serious impacts on the body. Whether it’s from forcefully coming into contact with an object – like a steering wheel – or the body is hit by debris flying around, damage to internal organs can occur.
This type of injury often results in internal bleeding, requiring emergency medical treatment and significant rehabilitation time to recover.
Fractures & Broken Bones
Fractured and broken bones are some of the most common injuries in motor vehicle accidents, with broken legs, ribs, arms, ankles, and wrists being some of the most common. Many serious car accident victims suffer a broken pelvis.
A broken or fractured bone is never good. Severity of broken bones can range from simple fractures requiring a cast to more serious displaced breaks or compound fractures that may sometimes require multiple surgeries to repair.
Facial Injuries
Facial injuries are also very common in car accidents. With all the broken glass and sharp pieces of metal involved, it makes sense. Most of the time, when we’re driving a vehicle, there is nothing in front of us to protect our faces from debris and broken glass flying through the air.
Cuts, bruises, fractures, disfigurements, tooth injuries and scarring are all facial injuries that can result from someone’s carelessness from car accidents in Columbia, South Carolina.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Not all car accident injuries are physical, or as we talked about with chest injury or TBIs, immediately noticeable.
But did you know that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common injury for people in car accidents?
The mental and emotional injuries suffered because of a car accident are real. With post-traumatic stress disorder, the everyday things that used to be routine often times become worrisome and sometimes even impossible. People in car accidents who experience emotional suffering and PTSD may be able to recover by using mental health counseling and treatment following a car accident.
Most Common Car Accident Injuries in South Carolina
There were more than 121,235 car accidents in Columbia, SC, in 2020, according to the most recent year of crash statistics from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety
Among them there were:
- 964 fatal crashes
- 1,066 fatalities (deaths)
- 2,196 crashes with suspected serious injuries
- 2,607 suspected serious injuries
- 30,673 non-incapacitating injuries
- 45,378 accidents with injuries possible
What to do After a Car Accident?
You may be uncertain about what you need to do after a South Carolina auto accident. Following are the steps for handling the claims process after the event.
It is important to understand what is expected of you in the claims process following an accident. You’ll need to file a report, seek medical care, establish fault, gather evidence, file a demand letter, and attempt to settle the case. An experienced Columbia, SC car accident attorney can help with these steps.
- Seek medical attention. Take care of yourself and get the proper help you need, and listen to your medical professionals.
- Filing a police report is a good idea. You may do this with the city of Columbia police department. State the facts of the auto accident. If you wish to obtain a copy of your accident report, you can submit a request to the City of Columbia police department records unit.
- Establishing fault will involve demonstrating who was negligent or reckless in the auto accident, and this is the next step.
- Gathering evidence is the step where the fault is shown, and you can start to establish your damages. You’ll be able to use witnesses, experts, pictures, statements, medical documents and bills, estimates, etc.
- Filing a demand letter is when a demand letter is the next steps. This is a document that lists your injuries and losses and how much you think you are owed to compensate for them. The defendant can respond with a denial or counteroffer.
- Attempting to settle the case will involve negotiations between your attorney and the defense. If a settlement agreement cannot be reached, the next step is generally to take the case to court
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Choosing The Right Car Accident Lawyer To Settle The Case
Having a good lawyer on your side can be a big help during the life of your case. Negotiating to settle your case for the full amount owed to you can be very tricky. Hiring a good auto accident attorney can help. It can be easy to make mistakes during this process, and you may walk away with less than you deserve. Working with a lawyer who knows how to fight for your rights and maximize your claim’s value can be an important step in getting compensated the amount the law says you should.
Brain injuries often result from the sudden stop of the car, causing your brain to continue forward and crash into the skull. Injuries range from mild to severe and can include brain death. Many brain injuries are noticed right away, so you should seek out medical attention soon after the accident, to be safe.
Neck and back injuries are most commonly seen when the head snaps forward and back, causing strain and nerve damage (whiplash) and where the spine twists or absorbs too much shock and pressure. Both of these injuries can seem mild, initially, and later turn out to be very serious. Again, seek out medical care right away to be safe.
Facial injuries are also common in auto accidents because there is nothing to protect the face from objects and broken glass. Cuts, bruises, fractures, disfigurement, and scarring are all very common injuries.
Chest injuries range from mild to severe and can include bruised or broken ribs, punctured lungs, and other forms of internal injuries.
