Were you injured in an accident in Antioch, SC? The dedicated Antioch personal injury lawyers at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys is here to answer your questions–call our law office at (803) 902-7065 today to schedule your free consultation.
You could have important legal rights if someone else’s negligence led to your injuries. You could obtain compensation for losses such as medical bills, lost pay, property damage, and mental distress through a personal injury claim. An Antioch personal injury lawyer will help you move forward after a serious accident leaves you looking for options.
An experienced South Carolina personal injury lawyer can handle the hard work of addressing your financial recovery while you work on your physical and emotional recovery.
How Can the Personal Injury Lawyers at Elrod Pope Accident and Injury Attorneys Help After an Accident in Antioch, SC?
Unexpected accidents can quickly lead to surprise financial costs, physical damage, and emotional distress. It takes time and effort to work on your personal recovery. Dealing with insurance claims and legal conflicts can seem overwhelming in the face of it all. Fortunately, our Antioch personal injury attorneys can handle the difficult work involved when you have an insurance claim and potentially a personal injury lawsuit ahead of you.
Our devoted South Carolina personal injury lawyers will take positive steps on your behalf, such as:
- Meeting with you for a no-risk, free consultation;
- Investigating the details and facts of your accident;
- Gathering evidence to prove your claim–such as photos, witness statements, medical records, video surveillance, police reports, and other key items;
- Negotiating aggressively with insurance companies and not backing down;
- Filing a personal injury lawsuit whenever needed to address your damages;
- Handling every step of your lawsuit and keeping in constant communication with you;
- Fighting for a fair settlement during your personal injury case;
- Taking your case all the way to a jury trial, if necessary.
At Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys in Antioch, we know what you are going through and will do everything we can to protect your interests.
What is My PA Accident Case Worth?
There are many different factors that might influence what your particular case is worth. Some considerations are:
- The severity of your injuries
- The strength of your evidence
- The impact of your injuries on your daily life
- Your medical expenses
- Your recovery times
Your lawyer will be able to discuss your particular situation with you and give you a general idea of the value of your personal injury case.
What Kinds of Damages Are Available to Accident Victims?
In South Carolina, victims might be entitled to economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages include the “dollars and cents” costs from your accident, such as:
- Medical expenses
- Rehabilitation costs
- Lost wages
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses, such as travel costs for appointments.
Non-economic damages address the sometimes unseen losses from an accident. Non-economic damages in your case might include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Reduced quality of life
- Disfigurement or scarring
- Long-term or permanent disability
- PTSD
- Depression
While an attorney can’t always tell you exactly what you’ll receive in the end, an experienced Antioch personal injury lawyer can often estimate your possible damages based on the facts of the case.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Antioch, SC?
South Carolina personal injury lawyers will normally handle your case on a contingency fee basis. Contingency fees mean you do not pay attorney’s fees upfront. Through this arrangement, accident victims get the skilled legal advice they need without worrying about retainer fees or a monthly bill from their lawyer. Under a contingency agreement, you only pay legal fees if your claim wins. If not, you pay nothing. Your personal injury lawyer will advance the costs necessary to build a strong claim.
If you win your case, a percentage of the overall payment will go to your attorney’s fees and costs. This percentage can depend on how complex your case is and your agreement with your lawyer at the start of your case. To learn more about how contingent fees work in a personal injury case, contact our lawyers for a free consultation.
What Types of Cases Does an Antioch, SC Personal Injury Lawyer Handle?
Personal injury cases are unique because they can happen in many different ways and involve different types of injuries. Based on the facts involved, some personal injury claims are more complex than others. The experienced personal injury attorneys at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys have succeeded in assisting their clients in a wide range of South Carolina personal injury cases.
Personal injury claims our law firm will often handle include:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Slips and falls
- Workers’ compensation
- Construction accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death.
If someone else’s negligence caused any of these losses, you will need skilled legal help. Do not hesitate to contact our office if you or a loved one were injured in any way. Our legal team will review the facts and focus on your financial recovery after a serious and unexpected accident. If negligence was involved, you have no time to waste.
Common Injuries In South Carolina Personal Injury Claims
Accidents can happen anywhere, and the injuries involved can span a wide range. Some personal injuries happen more often than others due to the nature of the accident and the vulnerabilities of our bodies. Injuries caused by negligence often include:
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Whiplash
- Lacerations and bruising
- Burns
- Infections
- Skull fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Nerve damage
- Paralysis
- Internal bleeding
- Organ damage
- Soft tissue injuries
- Loss of vision
- Loss of hearing
- Loss of limbs
- Wrongful death
After a serious accident, the injuries can harm your quality of life, create long-lasting health problems, and limit your ability to earn income in the future. Personal injury claims seek to restore you back to “whole” as best as possible under the circumstances.
What Is Negligence and How Can I Prove It?
Negligence is the legal theory that supports most personal injury claims. To collect compensation, you’ll need to prove the elements of negligence, which are:
- There was a duty of care owed to you by the other party based on the situation
- There was a breach of this duty by the other party
- There was a causal connection, meaning the defendant’s breach of duty caused your injuries
- You suffered damages, which can be proven through medical bills, lost income, property repair estimates, and other losses.
To prove these elements, you’ll need to show that it was more likely than not that the other individual caused your injuries. Once liability is proven, your lawyer will then turn to financial compensation for your damages. Personal injury lawyers will often describe these two portions of a claim as the “liability” segment and the “damages” segment. Both will depend on the facts and evidence involved in the case.
Can I Still File a Claim if I’m Blamed for an Accident in South Carolina?
Yes. You can pursue a personal injury claim in South Carolina even if you share some fault for an accident. South Carolina uses a modified comparative negligence rule–which means as long as your share of liability is 50% or less, you can still recover damages. Only if you were more than 50% liable is your claim barred. However, your payment in a settlement or verdict will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, if you were in a car accident and found to be 25% responsible for the crash, you can still file a claim and collect damages. However, your payout would be reduced by your share of the blame. So, instead of collecting $40,000, you would only collect 75%, or $30,000.
How is your percentage of fault determined? There’s not always an exact formula, and it will depend on how the accident happened. An experienced South Carolina personal injury lawyer will focus on maximizing your share of a financial settlement by fighting to minimize your share of liability.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Case in South Carolina?
South Carolina’s statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit is 3 years from the date of the accident in most cases. This three-year deadline to file will usually start running from the time of the accident or the time your injuries should have been discoverable.
An Antioch personal injury lawyer will work on your personal injury claim and prepare a strong case for filing. Even though a three-year deadline seems like a long time, it is best to act quickly while evidence is still available and memories are still fresh. Additionally, there might be factors that change the statute of limitations in your particular case.
Contact an Antioch, SC, Personal Injury Lawyer Today for a Free Consultation
If you were injured in Antioch, SC, due to an act of negligence, you can pursue financial compensation from the responsible party. You have important legal rights to protect, so the time to act is now. The dedicated legal team at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys will help you get the most out of your South Carolina personal injury claim. Contact our law office today to schedule your free consultation with an Antioch personal injury lawyer.