Orangeburg, SC Personal Injury Lawyer
People experiencing personal injuries are often debilitatingly injured and face mounting expenses and debts. Meanwhile, the person who hurt them might be no worse for wear. An attorney can help you get compensation from the person who injured you.
Personal injury claims are serious not just because of painful injuries but also because of the high costs associated with those injuries. Many plaintiffs claim damages worth staggering amounts of money. It is best to call a lawyer as soon as possible, as South Carolina imposes a strict deadline on when you must file a lawsuit or lose the right to sue altogether. Our office has handled various personal injury claims, including vehicle accidents, nursing home injuries, slip and falls, and more. Our team of legal professionals can help you investigate the accident while working with law enforcement, find evidence, and maneuver through complex legal procedures so you get the compensation you deserve.
To schedule a private assessment of your potential lawsuit free of charge, call our personal injury attorneys at Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers at
What Your Personal Injury Claims Are Worth in Orangeburg, SC
Financial compensation is often a focal point of many personal injury claims, especially in cases where damages are high. An attorney can help you assess your damages and determine just how much compensation you are entitled to from the defendant.
Compensatory Damages
Much of your damages are intended to make up for the things you lost because of your injuries. Compensatory damages are designed to make plaintiffs financially “whole” again, meaning they are put back in the same financial position they were in before being hurt.
Damages are unique to each case, but certain types of damages tend to be common across many cases. Medical bills prevail across many personal injury cases, and the more severe your injuries are, the higher your medical bills probably are. Even with health insurance to assist you, you can claim expensive copays or deductibles as part of your damages.
You should also consider how your injuries affected your ability to work. Many people take significant time away from work or cannot return to work at all after being injured. Your lost income is an important aspect of your damages that should be accounted for.
In addition to monetary damages, you can claim emotional and physical pain and suffering. While these experiences might not technically cost money, courts may still award financial compensation to make up for them.
Punitive Damages
Although rare, punitive damages might be awarded if the defendant’s behavior was especially outrageous, shocking, or egregious. Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages are not designed to make up for anything the plaintiff might have lost. Instead, they are meant to serve as a punishment for defendants who displayed particularly bad behavior. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 15-32-530(a), punitive damages may not exceed either 3 times the value of total compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is greater.
When to Call a Lawyer About Your Personal Injury Claims in Orangeburg, SC
It is normal for injury victims to wait a bit before contacting an attorney. Often, people do not realize they have a valid claim until a few weeks or months after their accident. In other cases, they might not believe their case is worth a lawsuit until the bills pile up. In any event, you should contact an attorney about your case as soon as possible, even if you are still unsure about filing a lawsuit.
You should speak to an attorney before the statute of limitations runs on your claim. According to S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5), personal injury claims must be filed no later than 3 years after the date the injuries occurred. This might sound like a long time, but it is much shorter than you think. Many cases are not filed for months or even years while attorneys are working on getting them ready.
Personal Injury Cases Our Orangeburg, SC Lawyers Have Handled
Personal injury law is incredibly broad, and a legion of injuries, accidents, and incidents might fall under this category. As such, you need an attorney with experience with cases like yours. Our office handles various kinds of personal injury claims, including, but not necessarily limited to, the following:
- Vehicle Accidents
- Injuries in Nursing Homes
- Medical Malpractice
- Slip and Falls
- Dangerous or Defective Products
- Construction Accidents
The nature of your claim plays a big role in the direction of your case. It can help our legal team decide whom to sue, what damages to claim, and the most effective legal strategies to use in court. If you know you have been hurt but are not sure of the exact nature of your claim, speak to an attorney anyway. They can give you guidance and advice on how to handle your claims.
What Our Orangeburg, SC Personal Injury Attorneys Can Do to Assist You
Our team of legal professionals can begin your case by investigating the accident in which your injuries occurred. This often involves getting a statement from you about what you remember, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing police reports. It might also involve going to the accident scene and recovering more evidence.
Depending on how your accident occurred, you might have needed police intervention. For example, if you were hurt in a car accident, the police and medical personnel were likely sent to your accident scene. When this happens, there should be a police report about your accident.
Our attorneys have worked with law enforcement on accident claims, and we know how to obtain copies of these reports. We can also talk to the police about any investigations they might have conducted, which is important if the defendant is also facing criminal charges related to the accident.
One of the biggest advantages an attorney brings to the table is their knowledge of complex legal rules and procedures. The average person might not know where, when, or even how to file a lawsuit, let alone file pretrial motions, depose witnesses, or draft a complaint. Your attorney can help you do all this and more.
Call Our Orangeburg, SC Personal Injury Attorneys for Help Now
To schedule a confidential evaluation of your potential lawsuit free of charge, call our personal injury lawyers at Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers at (803) 451-4000.
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