Spartanburg Hit & Run Accident Lawyer
Every year, vehicle collisions kill or seriously injure millions of Amercians. These serious injuries include head injuries, broken bones, and other injuries which are normally permanent, at least to an extent. For example, a broken leg might heal, but the victim may permanently lose some range of motion in a hip, knee, or other joint. The average injury-related medical bill is over $40,000. Group health insurance plans normally exclude injury-related costs.
The diligent Spartanburg hit & run accident lawyers at The Stanley Law Group work hard to obtain the compensation these victims need to pay accident-related expenses and move on with their lives. This hard work includes a thorough case evaluation, careful evidence collection, and skillful presentation in court. The compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Hit & Run Wrecks in Criminal Court
South Carolina hit & run victims who look to criminal court for justice and compensation are normally sorely disappointed.
Fewer than 10 percent of hit & run drivers are successfully prosecuted in criminal court. Usually, law enforcement investigators have almost no evidence to work with, except perhaps a vague description of a vehicle.
As a result, investigators must start at ground level and climb many flights of stairs. Prosecutors must establish guilt beyond any reasonable doubt, which basically means they must have an overwhelming amount of evidence.
Many times, this evidence is simply unavailable. Especially if the hit & run wreck happened at night, it’s very unlikely that a competent witness got a good view of the driver’s face.
Since a hit & run investigation is so risky and requires so many resources, most law enforcement investigators quickly move onto other matters. That’s particularly true since, deep down, many law enforcement investigators believe car crashes are civil matters that do not merit police involvement.
Additionally, even if the responsible driver is caught and convicted, which is a very big “if,” only limited compensation is available. At most, hit & run victims might get some money for some medical bills.
Spartanburg Hit & Run Accident Lawyers in Civil Court
The environment is much different in civil court, starting with the burden of proof. Attorneys must prove negligence by a preponderance of the evidence, or more likely than not. So, in a hit & run case, if a lawyer identifies the vehicle’s owner, compensation is usually available. It’s more likely than not that the owner was driving the vehicle at any given time.
A tiny bit of evidence goes a long way, such as a surveillance camera that picked up part of a license plate number of a damaged vehicle in the area. Attorneys can easily use such information to locate the owner, and it’s more likely that not that the damaged vehicle was also the hit & run vehicle.
Furthermore, attorneys are committed to victims. Unlike law enforcement investigators, a good personal injury attorney is not satisfied with anything less than the best possible results under the circumstances. This commitment does not change if the case is difficult.
The environment is more favorable in civil court, but it’s still not always possible to mount a successful lawsuit. Victims have other options in these cases, such as a PIP (personal injury protection) claim against their own insurance companies.
Count on a Diligent Spartanburg County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced hit & run accident lawyer in Spartanburg, contact The Stanley Law Group. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.
