Jan 15, 2014 | Car Accidents, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
A 20-year-old Orangeburg man, suspected of driving under the influence, was arrested after a fatal crash in Orangeburg County. Police report that the man was driving along Riverbank Drive at around 1:00 a.m., and while attempting to pass another vehicle, they collided with each other. The 19-year-old driver of the other car was killed in the accident, and the other two passengers were taken to the hospital. The alleged responsible driver did n
ot receive any injuries in the accident. While the man faces two counts of felony DUI, he also may face civil penalties.
In the state of South Carolina, the rule for personal injury law follows the Comparative Negligence standard. Here, even if a plaintiff is partially negligent, that plaintiff can still recover if their negligence does not exceed the negligence of others. The recovery will, however, be reduced in proportion to the plaintiff’s negligence. The major question in South Carolina is whether 50% or 51% passes the threshold for allowing negligence recovery.
The rule in South Carolina is that the plaintiff’s negligence must not exceed that of the defendants. So, in a case where a jury determines that the plaintiff and the defendant split fault exactly 50-50, the plaintiff will receive 50% of damages. If the plaintiff is the least bit more at fault than the defendant, the plaintiff is barred from recovery. This rule is called the 51% bar. In a multi-party lawsuit, the plaintiff’s negligence must not exceed the combined negligence of the defendants. So, even if there is no defendant individually responsible for the 51% negligence, the plaintiff’s claim is not barred.
This is a much easier bar than North Carolina. North Carolina adheres to the Contributory Negligence standard which states that if the plaintiff is found to be 0.00001% at fault, his claim is barred. Here, a North Carolina case may prevail on the fact that the driver was “reckless, willful, and wanton.”
If you have been injured in an accident in North or South Carolina, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP for a confidential consultation toll-free at 877-347-5999.
Jan 10, 2014 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
A woman was killed after a head-on Spartanburg County, South Carolina collision. The wreck occurred at 7:55 p.m. on Peachtree Road, near the town of Chesnee. Troopers have reported that the woman was 
traveling south when she ran off the right side of the road, over-corrected and came back onto the road and crossed the path of an SUV. The woman was not wearing a seatbelt, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the SUV, and the other two passengers in the vehicle were transported to Spartanburg Regional Hospital as a result of injuries sustained. They were wearing their seatbelts. Here, it is likely that the driver who was killed, would be considered “at fault,” due to the fact that it was likely her negligence that caused her to cross the path of the SUV. However, the accident is still under investigation at this point.
In South Carolina, we abide by the standard of comparative negligence, which, unlike the more stringent contributory negligence standard in North Carolina, attempts to provide you with compensation for damages even if you were partially at fault in the auto accident.
In a comparative negligence accident claim, you must show that the other driver was more than 50% liable for the car accident. If it is determined that the other driver is more liable than you for the crash, then they, or their insurance company will be required to compensate you for that percentage of liability.
For example, if you have a claim against another driver for $40,000, and through comparative negligence it is determined that they were 70% negligence for the accident, you would receive $28,000 in compensation.
While this does not cover the entirety of the car accident, it is far better to receive some compensation for the car accident that to bear the full cost. A comparative negligence claim is very involved and can explore factors such as weather conditions, road hazards, other drivers, other vehicles, witness statements, and police records.
If you have been involved in a collision in North Carolina, be vigilant of the high threshold one must prove in order to recover. This is why it is important contact an attorney with experience in the realm of personal injury law. For a confidential consultation, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP toll free at 877-374-5999 for more information.
Jan 9, 2014 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death
If you are in an accident the first feeling you have is usually one of panic. It is a very nerve wracking experience and can be very disorienting. However it is important to know what to do if you are in an accident.
A good habit is to keep your insurance card and registration in your vehicle at all times. This information will be needed should you be in an accident. Should you find yourself in an accident try to remain calm and call 911 immediately to have an officer dispatched to your location. The dispatcher will need to know where you are and if you don’t know what road you are on let them know any landmarks you see around you. Most dispatchers will know where you are even if you are not sure what road you are on if you can describe some landmarks around you.
Generally you should not move you vehicle from the scene of the accident so that the responding officer can take down an accurate report of the scene of the accident. This may vary depending on what jurisdiction you are in as some jurisdictions require small accidents such as fender benders to move to the side of the road until an officer can respond.
Once the officer has arrived you will need to give him all your information and he take a statement from you to investigate how the accident happened. The officer will give a citation to the driver he concludes was at fault. In some cases the officer will give a citation to both drivers involved in the accident if he is unable to determine exactly who was at fault. He will still make a report and then leave it to the courts to decipher where fault should be assigned. This is important to remember since just because you receive a citation does not mean you are at fault.
If you have been involved in a situation such as the one listed above, you need the help of a personal injury attorney. Contact the attorneys at Reeves Aiken & Hightower LLP toll-free at 877-374-5999 for a private, confidential consultation to review your particular case.
Jan 7, 2014 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
State Farm Automobile Insurance provided for three of the vehicles belonging to Plaintiff Jones. However, on November 5, 1999, State Farm sent a cancellation notice informing Mr. Jones that “effective November 24th, 1999,
coverage of the 1986 Mazda would be cancelled due to nonpayment of premiums.” Forward to December 19, 1999: Jones is seriously injured in a car wreck while driving the Mazda. Thereafter, a State Farm agent signed a FR-10 form stating that “I hereby affirm that to the best of my knowledge the vehicle described above was insured by State Farm insurance company on the date and time of the accident.”
After settling with the carrier of the other driver, Mr. Jones attempted to seek a declaration that the Mazda was covered at the time of the collision, and that he was “entitled to the underinsured coverage and entitled to stack his other two policies. However, the trial judge ruled in favor of State Farm and was entitled to summary judgment because the cancellation notice complied with S.C. Code Ann. 38-77-120, and the Form FR-10 did not affect the cancellation.
The case finally reached the South Carolina Appellate court where, the court affirmed, finding that the cancellation notice complied with the SC Code section. The court agreed with State Farm that an insurer is not required to inform the insured he/she has not been ceded to the South Carolina Reinsurance Facility. Therefore, summary judgment was granted in favor of State Farm without regard to the FR-10, because the form did not raise an issue as to the validity of the cancellation notice.
Moral of the Story: If you receive a cancellation notice in the mail, do not expect to garner any benefits from your insurance company as a result of a collision caused thereafter. This is regardless of fault. If State Farm had failed to send out the cancellation notice, the Plaintiff would have likely succeeded in this scenario; however, the notice was the document that proved to be the straw that broke the camels back in this case.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a similar situation, it is important for a professional to take a look at the case. If the cancellation notice was sent after the accident, the person is still covered and he/she may be entitled to monetary compensation from the insurance company. Contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP if you have a question regarding a pending insurance issue and we will determine the likelihood of success in your situation. For a consultation, contact our York County, South Carolina office at 803-548-4444.
Jan 2, 2014 | Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death
In modern terms, a “personal injury,” is most commonly used to refer to a tort action claiming that a plaintiff has endured an injury caused by the negligence of another, called the defendant.
In the opposing side, a “crime,” is something that entirely different that arises when a person has violated either a state or federal law, and now must pay some sort of restitution
to the state for their alleged crime.
A tort action is one that occurs in civil court as opposed to criminal court. To be a tort and not a crime, the plaintiff will sue the defendant personally, sometimes jointly and severally with another defendant, for damages due to the injury. The plaintiff, if found to be in the right; will recover monetary damages from the defendant for the defendant’s actions.
On the converse, when a person is charged with a crime instead of a tort, they are considered to be the defendant in the case, and the state serves as the plaintiff for all practical purposes.
The major difference is that when there is a crime charge due to injuries, there is no single person to serve as the plaintiff and earn a reward of compensation; but rather the focus is for the defendant to pay for their malfeasance either through fines to the state, serving the community, or at worst, being incarcerated.
Whether you have incurred a serious personal injury through an accident such as a car collision or the like; or whether you have been charged with a crime by the state of South Carolina, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP directly at 803-548-444 or toll-free at 877-374-5999 for more information on your legal options.
Dec 19, 2013 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
Two Fort Mill residents suffered serious injuries when their cars collided on Springfield Parkway, in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
According to the investigation, the accident was a ” head-on-wreck” that took place sometime after 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The drivers were located right past Merritt Street, on Springfield Parkway.
Both subsequently were flown to Carolinas Medical Center, where one driver is suffering from head trauma and injury, and the other driver has serious injury to his leg.
Luckily, both drivers survived the crash and will be released from CMC.
An auto accident can change your life forever in an instant. If you are on the road, you are at risk. We see it everyday. Someone is going too fast, not paying attention to the road, or is on their cell phone texting. Others are impaired or otherwise unsafe to drive, whether from alcohol or drugs. Sadly, you or your family member can be seriously injured or killed even if you do everything right.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP toll-free at 877-374-5999 for more pertinent information.
