Hampton, SC Car Accident Lawyer
Injuries from a car accident can interrupt your life. You may not be able to go to work, take care of your kids, or even take care of yourself for some time after your crash. Additionally, you could be facing auto repair bills, medical expenses, and other expenses related to the crash that you need compensated right away.
Our attorneys can file your case against the at-fault driver and their insurance company and fight to get you the damages you need after a serious accident. We also help with minor and moderate crashes in addition to severe crashes, helping our clients get any damages our clients require as soon as possible after the accident.
Contact Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers at (803) 451-4000 right away for a free case evaluation with our car accident attorneys.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Hampton, SC
Car crashes happen in many different ways, but they can usually be sorted into a few different types of crashes. Our car accident lawyers handle all of these categories of car crashes and more, so do not hesitate to reach out to our firm if you were injured in a crash not on this list.
Drunk Driving Crashes
If someone hits you while they are driving drunk, they should be found at fault. However, proving these cases is often difficult, and we may need to reach out to the local police to get copies of blood alcohol tests and officer testimony to help prove that the other driver was drunk. Your own testimony can also help prove this if you smelled alcohol on their breath, witnessed them slurring their speech, or saw empty bottles in the driver’s area of their car.
Texting While Driving Cases and Other Distracted Driving
Texting while driving is one of the most common types of distracted driving accidents. These crashes often cause serious injuries, as the driver cannot stop because they do not see the dangers in time when their eyes and hands are on their phone.
It can be difficult to prove for certain that the driver was texting, but any distractions can put a driver at fault for a crash. Even so, our lawyers can subpoena phone company records and phone data to prove your case, along with using your testimony to show that the driver was looking down or that their phone was in their hand.
Speeding Accidents
Speeding is involved in most crashes to some degree, even if it is not the core cause of the crash. Any time high speeds are involved, the crash becomes more dangerous, potentially resulting in more severe injuries and vehicle damage. If the driver was excessively speeding, this could play a huge factor in fault and potentially even result in punitive damages to make the driver pay more as a punishment for their reckless actions.
Fender Benders, Low-Speed Crashes, and Parking Lot Accidents
Although these crashes might be deemed “minor,” they can still result in physical injuries. In any crash where you suffered a physical injury, you could be entitled to an insurance claim or lawsuit for your bodily injuries.
Even “minor” crashes can result in cuts from broken glass, bruising from your seat belt, whiplash from sudden stopping, back injuries from the forces involved in the crash, and other injuries. Do not take these injuries lightly just because there was not much vehicle damage; talk to a lawyer about getting any and all hospital bills and other expenses covered.
Fatal Crashes
At the other end of the spectrum are serious crashes that involve the death of a loved one. If your family member died in a car accident, you and the rest of your family could be entitled to substantial compensation for their loss, and those damages might be vital to helping your family move forward. Their lost income, support, companionship, and more might not be something you can easily put a value on. Still, our lawyers can calculate the monetary damages in these cases and help you fight for justice after losing a loved one.
Hit and Runs
If the other driver did not stop after the crash, we have some ways we can track them down. First and foremost, reporting your crash to the police and giving them as much information as possible about the car’s color, make, model, and partial license plate number can help them track the vehicle down. If you can get the full plate number, they might even be able to find the registration and arrest the driver, making it easier for you to find out who hit you. Our lawyers can also review any nearby security camera footage that might have caught the accident on video and supply that evidence to the police.
Ultimately, these cases are challenging, but our lawyers are up to the challenge. If the driver cannot be located, we can also potentially help you get compensation from your own insurance if you have first-party benefits.
Who Decides Fault in a Car Accident Case in Hampton, SC?
The question of who is at fault is important, as the at-fault driver pays damages under South Carolina’s fault-based insurance system. Because this is an important issue, the question of who decides fault is also important.
First and foremost, our lawyers will analyze the facts of your case and make our own determination about who was at fault. Our theory might involve one driver or multiple drivers. If any of them worked for a commercial company like a trucking company, we might also include that company in the lawsuit for partial fault.
Next, we will file an insurance claim against that driver’s insurance policy, and their insurance company will have to decide fault. If they refuse to agree with our assessment or deny their driver was at fault, they might try to halt your case.
This leaves us the chance to go to court instead. In court, the judge determines what law applies to the case, but it is up to the jury to determine who was at fault. In some cases, you might elect for the judge to hear the case in a “bench trial,” giving the judge the question of fault instead of a jury.
Call Our Car Accident Lawyers in Hampton, SC Today
Call (803) 451-4000 today for a free case review with the car accident lawyers at Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers.
