SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENTS IN INDIAN LAND SOUTH CAROLINA

Accidents occur quickly but there effects can last a lifetime. Indian Land SC is a beautiful, growing area. Our close proximity to Charlotte is changing our once small community. But with that growth also comes more people and traffic. As a result, automobile accidents are increasing. Fortunately, most accidents are minor and do not cause injury. However, for those accidents that result in permanent, life changing harm, you and your family will need experienced representation.

The law firm Robert J. Reeves P.C. is a local firm with offices in both Baxter Village / Fort Mill as well as Charlotte with attorneys who can handle serious injury cases in both South Carolina and North Carolina. Attorney Robert J. Reeves is a former Registered Nurse (RN) who used to treat seriously injured patients in car accidents. He now applies his medical background and over 25 years litigation experience in holding negligent parties accountable. He is aggressive but compassionate and appreciates the anxiety you may have during this most difficult time in your life. First, Mr. Reeves will explain the process and what to expect. He will then go over what he can do for you. The firm employs a “team approach” and will leave no stone unturned to make sure we have fully prepared your case. We will negotiate with the insurance company but always stand ready to go to trial if that is in your best interest. Our lawyers are accomplished trial attorneys and have been inducted into such peer-review organizations as the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, National Trial Lawyer Top 100, and Super Lawyers. In addition to our credentials and experience, we also make ourselves available to you when you need us. That’s why every client has our personal cell phone numbers and direct email addresses. We know a few minutes on the phone, especially in the evenings or on the weekend, will help you get a better night’s sleep if you can just get your questions answered. We are not a “mill” firm. We purposefully do not take every case so that we can better serve the clients we do undertake to help.

THE AUTO ACCIDENT PROCESS

MEDICAL TREATMENT

If you are represented by a lawyer, you just need to focus on healing or caring for a family member who has been hurt in a car accident. We will deal with the insurance company and medical bills as they start coming in the mail. While in treatment, there is not usually a lot to focus on legally. But, once released from care, your case moves rather quickly in terms of settlement discussions or the filing of a lawsuit. Either way, there is much more activity on your lawyer’s part after the doctor says you are as good as you are going to get (maximum medical improvement).

DAMAGES

People who call our firm about an Indian Land SC auto accident have usually been injured. Given better car designs, safety systems, and God’s grace, most are not seriously injured, and we can guide them with some basic advice. Others, however, are critically hurt and need our help. Injury, lost wages from jobs, future medical care, and permanent disability issues are all part of a person’s “damages” claim. With the exception of pain and suffering, those elements can be calculated and presented to an adjuster or jury, if necessary. The jury will then assess what they collectively feel is a person’s total loss and assess a dollar value in the form of a verdict. It is this unknown number that personal injury lawyers and insurance adjusters try to negotiate. Some insurance companies are more reasonable, while others almost always require a lawsuit to motivate. In serious injury cases, you need experienced counsel to negotiate and guide you through the process. Your choice in an Indian Land SC auto accident lawyer is important, perhaps even critical. This is not the time to hire a TV or billboard lawyer. Insurance companies look at your choice also in deciding how to evaluate the value of your claim. Less experienced lawyers can certainly handle minor, “soft tissue” claims. But serious injury predictably requires more history and experience. Compare before you make your choice.

LIABILITY

Although we started with “damages” in our discussion, every case usually starts with a review of “liability” issues. If you are a passenger or are struck from behind while stopped, there are no liability debates in this scenario. However, in almost every circumstance, there will be an analysis of what degree of fault should be assigned to both parties and who was “at fault.” In South Carolina, recovery is reduced by that degree of fault assigned to the injured party. If greater than fifty percent (50%), there is no recovery at all under a “modified comparative negligence” review. Passengers (except in some limited circumstances) and children are exempt from these rules. In North Carolina, by comparison, ANY degree of fault bars recovery under “contributory negligence” laws there. South Carolina is much more reasonable and fair. If an accident is more your fault than the other party, you are not allowed to recover. This is where the real negotiations begin. Even in intersection accidents, there is the debate about who “controlled” and who had the “right of way.” In serious cases, this determination can mean the difference between going forward and having your case dismissed by a judge. Try not to worry. We do this everyday.

INSURANCE COVERAGE

In minor cases, this issue does not usually come up. However, in serious accidents, there is rarely enough available insurance coverage to fully compensate our client’s damages. The minimum limits required by law in South Carolina is $25k/$50k which means there is $25k available for any one person in an accident and a total of $50k for those accidents where multiple people are injured. In serious Indian Land SC auto accidents, $25k is almost never enough. Consequently, after we secure the full “at fault” driver’s policy, we turn to our client’s Under Insured Motorist’s (UIM) policy. Hopefully, our client will have sufficient limits. Also, we can “stack” policies based on the number of insured vehicles in the household.

MEDICAL BILL LIENS

After we secure all available coverage and negotiate a settlement (or a jury verdict), we now have to deal with lien issues. This is where we negotiate reductions in all outstanding liens from health insurance providers to Medicaid / Medicare. The obvious goal is to first maximize recovery and then protect that figure by minimizing lien payouts. In the end, your lawyer should never take more in fee than a client, and you, as the one who was injured, should receive the most funds. This is not always the case. You should make sure your firm makes that a policy like our firm does.

As you can now see, there is much to be done in properly handling an Indian Land SC auto accident case. We hope this information has been helpful in answering some of your basic questions. As we have stressed earlier, we encourage you to carefully review and compare our credentials against any other firm before deciding which lawyer to hire,. We invite you to come into the office and personally meet with us. After you are satisfied that you have finished your research, you should then hire the best lawyer and firm for you and your family. Go with the firm that gives you the most confidence and makes you the most comfortable. To speak with Mr. Reeves, you can call him directly on his mobile phone at 803-554-4157, evenings, weekends, and holidays. We look forward to seeing what we can do to help.

*Mr. Reeves membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum is not meant to imply any value to your case. Every accident case is different, and value depends on a number of unique factors.