Our Mount Pleasant car accident lawyers know that it isn’t typical that you will get a settlement check after you have been injured in a car accident. Even if you get a settlement offer, it may not be anywhere close to what you deserve.
Our car accident lawyers in Mount Pleasant will represent you throughout the legal process to obtain the best possible outcome. Contact our attorneys at Rikard & Protopapas to schedule a free initial consultation.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle for Clients
Our attorneys will work on your behalf to obtain financial compensation after you were injured in any type of car accident. Here are some of the types of car accidents that we handle:
- Head-on collisions
- Intersection accidents
- Rear-end collisions
- Rollovers
- Blindspot crashes
- Reckless driving
- Drunk driving
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
No matter what type of accident you were involved in, the legal principles are always the same. You will need to prove fault for the accident and fight for your needed compensation.
Car Accident Injuries
South Carolina roadways are considered to be among the most dangerous in the country. A Forbes Advisor study ranked the state as the second most dangerous one in the country based on fatality metrics.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that a car accident injury is minor and that you would not do anything about it. Even minor neck pain can be far worse than you think, and lead to debilitating pain for the foreseeable future. You should always let a lawyer help you determine whether it is worth your while to take legal action.
What you do after a car accident matters to both your physical health and your legal situation. While you are dealing with potentially serious injuries, there are things that you have to do in the wake of a car accident.
What to Do After You Have Been Injured in a Car Accident
The first thing that you need to do after a crash is get all the treatment that you need from the relevant doctors. Extensive early medical intervention can put you in a better position to make a full recovery. If you do not get your injuries treated, they may grow worse over time.
You may not even realize that you were hurt in the car accident. If you have suffered whiplash or an internal injury, you may not notice symptoms of your accident injury at first. By the time that you first feel symptoms, your condition could have degenerated.
Prompt medical care also helps your legal case in several ways:
- It may quicken your point of maximum medical improvement, which is when you are able to file a claim for compensation
- It would keep the insurance company from being able to argue that a delay in getting treatment made your injuries worse
- It would give you the documentation that you would need to prove your injuries
You should also hire a local personal injury attorney in Mount Pleasant immediately after your accident. Advantages of doing so include:
- The insurance company may be trying to pressure or trick you into making a mistake that can harm your case
- Car accident evidence can disappear quickly, so your attorney needs to get to work
- The legal process takes time, so you want to begin as soon as possible
The Car Accident Laws Governing Your Legal Case
South Carolina is an at-fault state when it comes to car accident liability. The driver who caused the accident is responsible for paying damages to the other injured driver and their passengers. However, your legal case may be complicated if the insurance company argues that you are partially to blame for the accident.
You cannot recover financially from a car accident in Mount Pleasant if you bear more blame for the crash than the other driver. This system is called modified comparative negligence. Your lawyer may need to defend your own actions surrounding the accident for you to receive the full financial compensation that you deserve.
To demonstrate negligence in a car accident case, you would need to prove the following elements:
- The other driver owed you a duty of care
- The driver failed to uphold their duty of care because they acted unreasonably under the circumstances
- You suffered an injury
- You would not have been injured had it not been for the actions of the other driver
How Our Attorneys Can Help Your Car Accident Case
There is a reason why you always hear that you should never try to deal with the insurance company on your own — it will cost you money. Insurance companies look at self-represented claimants as a target of opportunity. They use these claims to subsidize payments to claimants who hired a lawyer. On average, you will end up with more money when you hire a lawyer, even after paying your attorney their share of your settlement.
Your relationship with our lawyers begins during the initial consultation, where we get to know each other and explain your legal options. Once you hire us to represent you, we will do the following for your case:
- Investigate your car accident and gather the evidence that you need to carry your burden of proof
- Help you determine the best course of action to get financial compensation
- Estimate the value of your damages that you need to seek in the claims or lawsuit process
- Prepare the insurance claim or the lawsuit complaint that begins the legal process
- Negotiate a possible settlement with the insurance company after responding to the low offers that they will make you
- Argue your case to a jury if you cannot reach a settlement agreement
Contact a Mount Pleasant Car Accident Lawyer Today
The Mount Pleasant auto accident attorneys at Rikard & Protopapas are passionate advocates for crash victims and will be standing up for you when the insurance company tries to underpay you. We offer free consultations to the injured and their families. Discuss your case and let us explain your legal options. You can speak with a lawyer by calling us today at 803-978-6111 or sending us a message online. There is no charge for our services unless you win your case.