Florence, SC Car Accident Lawyer

Car crashes are one of the most common causes of serious injury. People injured in car crashes could face a range of injuries, from broken bones to whiplash to more serious, life-altering injuries like paralysis and traumatic brain injuries. No injury case is too small or too big.

Our lawyers can help you seek the recovery you need by fighting insurance companies for lost wages, medical bills, and other expenses related to your injury. We can also seek out pain and suffering damages to account for the intangible harms like mental anguish and emotional distress you face.

Contact our car accident lawyers today at Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers for a free case review by calling (803) 451-4000.

Compensation for Minor Car Accidents in Florence, SC

Minor crashes can still leave you with substantial expenses related to the crash, as well as some minor injuries. Low-speed crashes in parking lots, fender benders on the road, and even side-swipe crashes on the highway can often result in expensive repairs, but if injuries are involved as well, that should be the focus of your case.

Low-speed crashes can still cause surprising injuries, especially in rear-end collisions. These crashes are notorious for causing neck and back injuries, most notably whiplash. Whiplash injuries are often hard to identify on the first day or so. Still, they can lead to long-term pain and discomfort that could affect your ability to work and perform activities you used to enjoy.

If you are experiencing minor injuries after what you thought was a minor crash, get medical care, get records of that care, and contact a lawyer. Our car accident attorneys can help you connect the injury to the accident, even if it was the day before (or a couple of days before) you began noticing symptoms. We can also fight to get you compensation for that injury and any effects the injury might cause.

Even when a crash or an injury seems minor, it might still cost you dearly, so it is important to talk to an attorney about your case.

Compensation for Serious Injuries in a Car Crash in Florence, SC

To get compensation for more serious injuries, it might be less about proving that the injury was related to your crash and showing that you actually experienced damages and more about convincing the insurance company to cover what will be very high medical bills and expensive damages. Insurance companies will typically seek to get insurance claims shut down by denying their driver’s fault or denying that the injuries are as serious as you claim. Proving that your case is indeed severe – and proving that it is worth what we say it is – will require evidence.

Witness statements, photos of the accident scene, and your testimony about what happened will be key. Getting police reports and producing all records – medical records, vehicle repair bills, pay stubs – will be important to prove the accident and how severe its effects were.

When it comes time to negotiate with insurance companies, our lawyers can fight to get you what you are truly owed, not just some low-dollar settlement to end the case quickly. However, if the insurance company refuses to pay, we may have to take your case to court.

Serious injury cases often go to trial because the insurance company hopes the case will be dismissed or you will eventually “give in” and settle for a low amount rather than taking the time to fight the case in court. Our attorneys will do whatever we need to to get you the damages you need, including taking your case before a judge and jury if necessary.

Damages for Injured Car Accident Victims in Florence, SC

If you were hurt in a car accident in South Carolina, you could be entitled to compensation for three main areas of damage: expenses you paid, money you lost, and intangible harms (non-economic damages). You could also be able to recover “punitive damages” in limited cases.

Financial Expenses

You should be entitled to full compensation for all monetary expenses you had to pay out because of the crash. That includes things like bills for medical care and vehicle repair, but it also includes things like replacement services around the house for things you cannot do while recovering from injuries (e.g., reasonable childcare costs, hospital transportation costs, laundry services, cleaning costs).

Lost Earnings

You should also be able to claim financial compensation for any money you lost because of the injury. That traditionally includes lost earnings, as in the income lost during your recovery and any money lost because of your injury’s long-term or permanent effects. For example, if you worked a physically demanding job but were paralyzed in a car accident, then you might have to take a different job that pays less. This reduced income will affect you going forward, not just during a defined healing period. As such, you should be entitled to compensation for the ongoing reduction in income you and your family will face.

If you own a business and missed out on contracts or other opportunities you had to later say no to because of your injuries, that should also qualify for damages. Essentially, the defendant should pay any money you lost because of the injury.

Intangible Harms

Things like pain, mental and emotional distress, embarrassment, fear of future injury, and the lost enjoyment of life that comes with an injury can all be compensated. Unlike financial or “economic” damages, these “non-economic” damages have no bills, financial records, statements, or receipts associated with them.

Instead, courts and insurance companies generally rely on how severe the injury was to determine how much your non-economic damages are worth. More severe injuries could potentially be worth three or four times the other economic damages in your case, depending on how calculations are made.

Punitive Damages

Additional damages can be paid by the at-fault driver to punish them for extreme negligence or repeat bad behavior. These damages are rare and are typically only ordered against transportation companies for malfeasance or against very dangerous drivers, such as drunk drivers. Nonetheless, they are always worth looking into in an injury case.

Call Our Florence, SC Car Accident Attorneys Today

For a free review of your injury case, call Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers’ car accident attorneys at (803) 451-4000 today.