Free Consultation | Columbia/Sumter(803) 973-0304 | Charleston(843) 388-3368 | Summerville (By appointment only)(843) 388-3368
Free Consultation | Columbia/Sumter(803) 973-0304 | Charleston(843) 388-3368 | Summerville (By appointment only)(843) 388-3368
Dayson Shalabi Burkett Law Firm, LLC, can help you with your Columbia, SC, car accident case.
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South Carolina is a beautiful state. However, as with any other state, it’s also home to potentially dangerous roads. No one in this state anticipates getting into a car accident until it happens.
Questions will rush through your mind after an automobile accident. You might ask yourself:
If you have any or all of these questions, a car accident lawyer in South Carolina can answer them and provide legal guidance during this difficult time.
As a team of Columbia car accident lawyers, we often help our clients understand what to do after traumatic events. After this stressful and scary situation, there are four primary things to focus on.
Your health and safety are the most critical factors after a car accident. They’re also more important than speaking with any South Carolina car accident lawyer. Sometimes, especially in severe accidents affecting your ability to stay conscious, a witness will likely make this literal call for you.
But what if your accident isn’t severe? It’s still important to visit your nearest walk-in medical clinic. A secondary benefit of post-accident medical care is that it records what happened. Motor vehicle accident cases often use medical records to verify victims’ claims about their injuries.
As you continue to treat your injuries, you’ll likely deal with increasing medical expenses. Keeping your visits handy is vital for potentially receiving a car accident settlement that can pay for appointments, prescriptions, surgeries, and related medical costs.
After taking care of your well-being, the next factor on your mind is likely your vehicle. Sometimes, a collision totals a vehicle. A totaled automobile is a vehicle that would cost more than it is worth to repair.
Dealing with a vehicle accident can be traumatizing. Throwing in the stress of car repairs and being without an automobile only adds to your worries. Contacting a car accident lawyer in South Carolina can help you recoup the compensation you deserve.
When an accident happens, the at-fault driver’s insurance representative starts working immediately. Quite possibly, they may offer you a few hundred dollars within a day or two to “make you go away,” especially before you hire a South Carolina car accident lawyer. It’s an unfortunate situation. That’s because it often takes a week for someone to realize their injuries after a crash are more severe than they initially thought.
Insurance providers are businesses. They must pay out as little as possible. Otherwise, their profits are affected. Our Columbia car accident lawyers stand up to insurance companies. Dayson Shalabi Burkett Law Firm, LLC, regularly negotiates for clients during car accident cases throughout Columbia, South Carolina.
No matter the size of an insurance company you’re up against, Dayson Shalabi Burkett Law Firm, LLC is a team of lawyers who aim to help people obtain car accident settlements.
If you sustained post-collision injuries, seek an attorney quickly. Insurance companies have been through this hundreds of thousands of times; they have the experience that you don’t, and you need an auto accident lawyer in Columbia, SC, who will fight them for you to get you the compensation you are entitled to and deserve.
Plus, a car accident lawyer in South Carolina can prove beneficial in helping you form your case. Having the most robust case could mean the difference between a victory or defeat in court. A Columbia car accident lawyer can help you build a strong claim.
The other party may also be quicker to offer a substantial settlement when learning you have professional legal representation. A lawyer in South Carolina can also assist you with obtaining car accident settlements.
As mentioned in our last section, insurance providers typically succeed when they pay as little as possible when their policyholders cause motor vehicle accidents. Sometimes, insurance companies achieve this objective because accident victims don’t know the worth of their cases.
Additionally, a car crash’s aftermath means speaking with insurance professionals. A South Carolina car accident lawyer can represent you during these sometimes tense negotiations. Our help could mean you receive a settlement reflective of your pain and suffering.
As lawyers, we often receive questions about vehicle collision laws and inquiries about how the claims process works. DSB has the answers. Let our team of experienced car accident lawyers in South Carolina answer your most frequently asked questions.
According to annual figures, about 150,000 car accidents happen in this state annually. This state often ranks higher than the nation’s average figures for yearly accidents. Using data from 2021, South Carolina drivers suffer fatal injuries at an accident rate of 1.97.
In most cases, especially when a collision is severe, these people contact car accident lawyers in Columbia, SC.
Unfortunately, South Carolina often places above the national average regarding car accidents. The previously mentioned fatal car crash rate of 1.97 sadly puts the Palmetto state with the most traffic fatalities per 1,000,000 miles drivers traveled. That said, this data comes from a 2020 study.
However, as most attorneys know, it’s common to see South Carolina often placed highly on national accident-related lists.
According to a 2021 study by Insurify, Charleston has the most at-fault car accidents in South Carolina. 15.76% of Charleston’s drivers have prior at-fault car accidents on their records, 1.06 times higher than this state’s average. As South Carolina car accident lawyers, we help clients in popular cities such as Columbia, Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Myrtle Beach during these challenging times.
No. South Carolina is an at-fault accident state. That means drivers at fault for accidents are liable for the damages they cause. A no-fault state allows each involved party to receive necessary medical treatment. That’s because no-fault states only focus on medical treatment-related matters, meaning one driver can hold another liable for vehicle and property damage.
Schedule a consultation with a Columbia car accident lawyer to learn more about this topic. We’re here to help. Let our team take the complexity out of how to proceed.
In South Carolina, you must be 50% or less responsible for the crash that happened. What if you’re not? If a South Carolina judge or jury finds you responsible for 51% or more of a car accident, you can not seek damages or attempt to obtain compensation for this incident.
A car accident lawyer in South Carolina can provide a more in-depth understanding of this state’s compensation laws and how they pertain to your case. Contact DSB today.
There’s a reason why you’ll often hear about statutes of limitations while speaking with a car accident lawyer in Charleston. That crucial time frame is how long you have to report a crime. In South Carolina, you have up to three years from the date of your collision to file a claim.
This statute means you must file a personal injury claim up to three years after your car accident. You won’t be legally able to file a claim after that. Therefore, seeking a car accident lawyer in South Carolina is critical long before that crucial date arrives. Doing so can help ensure you don’t miss the statute of limitations for your car accident case in Columbia, SC.
However, there are specific scenarios where you are limited to a two-year statute of limitations. This is typically for government entities and non-profit organizations (which include hospitals). Contacting an auto accident lawyer in Columbia, SC, can help. We’ll look at your case. That lets us determine your precise limitations.
As our South Carolina car accident lawyers know, determining fault is vital after a vehicle collision. Considering the damage caused by typical car accidents, it typically takes several parties in South Carolina to assess fault. Things become even more complex if a collision involves more than two vehicles.
First, as often legally required, law enforcement should arrive at the scene of your accident. Police officers can use the following to determine fault:
A police officer may find you at fault. But they could be wrong. It is important to remember that just because law enforcement suspects you caused a crash, you should still consult with an auto accident lawyer in Columbia, SC. Our investigation could uncover that a police officer made mistakes.
Insurance company representatives for each driver will also want to check out this accident scene. Understandably, each side participating in this activity seeks evidence and information favorable to their respective client.
If you and a car accident lawyer in SC go to court, a judge or jury will conduct a trial-related investigation to determine who’s at fault after a collision.
The average settlement in a car accident case can vary. Additionally, it’s nearly impossible to accurately determine a precise average due to many different factors that come into play in a car accident. If your accident resulted in minor injuries, an average of $1,000 to $10,000 is possible. Motor vehicle accidents leading to more severe injuries or death can yield settlements anywhere from $25,000 to six or seven-figure totals.
Therefore, our team of SC car accident lawyers must evaluate every claim on a case-by-case basis. Venue and jurisdiction, aggravating factors such as a DUI or hit and run, the amount of insurance the at-fault driver has, and the extent of your injuries are all critical factors in determining a car accident settlement value for your case.
You can obtain more accurate settlement-related information by speaking with a car accident lawyer in South Carolina.
A “good” settlement figure is only possible to determine after a legal professional hears the details of a case, including your injuries, pain, suffering, and vehicle-related damage. A car accident lawyer in SC can help you determine an accurate settlement amount to propose if it’s not initially offered.
As with determining a post-accident settlement, there’s no way any car accident lawyer in Columbia, SC, or beyond can know how long it will take to settle your car accident claim. Some people or companies want to avoid legal issues and may quickly offer an attractive settlement.
Should the other party not provide a settlement worth accepting, we will take matters to court by filing a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. We only file lawsuits on behalf of our clients if they do not want to accept the insurance company’s “highest” offer.
The court process typically involves car accident lawyers in South Carolina representing each driver. If that happens, expect your case to take longer to resolve. Sometimes, drivers, companies, and insurance businesses can resolve an accident in several weeks. When neither party budges, the aftermath of a car accident may take one to two years to resolve, even when all parties have representation from auto accident lawyers in Columbia, SC.
Dayson Shalabi Burkett Law Firm, LLC, is an experienced personal injury law firm. We ensure that our Charleston and Columbia car accident lawyers get big-firm results while maintaining a small-firm level of attention to each client we serve. After working with and helping many of South Carolina’s hard-working people, our car accident attorneys know exactly what they’re going through.
If a negligent driver caused an accident that injured you or a loved one, call our South Carolina car accident lawyers at Dayson Shalabi Burkett Law Firm, LLC, at 803-973-0304 or in Charleston at 843-388-3368 for help today!