Spartanburg Car Accident Lawyer
Generally, vehicle collisions are not “accidents.” People accidentally leave the lights on. They do not accidentally drive while intoxicated and cause collisions. If the driver’s error was negligence, or a lack of care, the Spartanburg car accident lawyer at The Stanley Law Group can obtain substantial compensation in court.
This compensation normally includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Most drivers have a duty of reasonable care in most situations. They must drive defensively and always obey the rules of the road. A higher duty of care applies in some cases.
Spartanburg Car Accident Lawyers and Car Crash Injuries
You break it, you buy it. If a customer drops a coffee mug, that customer should pay compensation (pay for the mug). Likewise, if a tortfeasor (negligent driver) causes injury, the tortfeasor should pay compensation, as mentioned above. Some serious car crash injuries include:
- Internal Bleeding: During collisions, the violent motion causes internal organs to smash against each other. Since internal organs do not have protective skin layers, a pinprick abrasion causes a major leak. In fact, by the time they see doctors, many car crash victims are on the brink of hypovolemic shock and organ shutdown.
- Head Injuries: The brain isn’t much larger than an oversized coffee mug. So, this same motion also causes the brain to violently and repeatedly slam against the skull. We feel this effect on a very mild level when pacing stimulates thought. The impact of a high-speed collision is much more intense. The resulting brain damage is usually permanent. Dead brain cells do not regenerate.
- Broken Bones: The overwhelming force usually shatters bones, especially arm and leg bones. Usually, the arms and legal flail against the dashboard, steering column, or another solid object. Reconstructive surgery to rebuild these bones is very intense. As a result, the recovery process, including physical therapy, is much longer, more painful, and more expensive.
A Spartanburg car accident lawyer must prove the tortfeasor’s negligence substantially caused the injury. There’s a difference between a substantial cause and a contributing cause. For example, if Elena has a bad back, her condition could contribute to the risk and/or severity of a back injury. However, the tortfeasor’s negligence substantially caused her injury.
The medical bills in a car crash case usually exceed $40,000. Attorneys have professional relationships with doctors who, in most cases, charge nothing upfront for their professional services.
The Comparative Fault Defense
Contributory negligence, in one form or another, may be the most common insurance company defense in car accident matters. Unless an attorney anticipates this defense and has a plan to deal with it, the victim’s compensation could be reduced, perhaps to nothing.
We mentioned the difference between a substantial cause and a contributing cause above. Sometimes, the line between the two is blurry. For example, if Elena was speeding and the other driver was drunk, either might have substantially caused the wreck.
The jury determines substantial cause in these situations. Based on the evidence, they must divide responsibility on a percentage basis (80-20, 50-50, etc.)
South Carolina is a modified comparative fault state with a 51 percent bar. So, even if a victim was 49 percent responsible for a wreck, the financially responsible party, which is usually the tortfeasor’s insurance company, must pay a proportionate share of damages. Many times, a third party, like the tortfeasor’s employer, is the financially responsible party.
Reach Out to a Determined Spartanburg County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer in Spartanburg, contact The Stanley Law Group. We routinely handle matters throughout the Palmetto State.
