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Greenwood, SC Personal Injury Lawyer

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    Many types of incidents can result in catastrophic personal injuries. If another person’s actions injured you, our lawyers can help you file a legal claim against them to cover the expenses.

    Perhaps a negligent driver injured you in a crash, one of the most common reasons our lawyers file lawsuits. We can gather the crash report that the police drafted after investigating your collision and interview any witnesses who can provide details of the defendant’s conduct before and after it occurred. If a property owner’s carelessness caused your damages, we can file your claim against them and others who might have been responsible for the safety of the premises. Regardless of the type of accident, we can evaluate all the damages you sustained, including your financial losses, non-monetary pain and suffering, and punitive damages if the defendant’s conduct was reckless or willful.

    Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras today at (803) 219-4906 for your free and confidential case assessment with our Columbia, SC personal injury lawyers.

    Common Personal Injury Cases Our Lawyers Handle in Greenwood, SC

    How you suffered your injuries will dictate the way your case is handled. Negligence can be caused in countless ways, which is why having our personal injury attorneys fight your case can make a significant difference. We can assess your damages, negotiate with insurance, and counsel you on when to settle and when to go to trial.

    For example, our lawyers handle car accident claims every day, as it is arguably the most common way people are injured. We know that evidence like police reports, medical records, and witness testimony typically builds the strongest cases. It does not matter if one driver was involved or several, we can determine liability so each defendant is held accountable. Since most insurance companies in a car accident claim would rather settle a case than waste extra time and money in a trial when the evidence is on your side, it is best to have our team build your case while you recover.

    Other accidents, like slip and falls, are often more challenging for victims because insurance might not be readily available, and defendants can be hard to identify. Our team knows that accidents on other people’s property can be some of the most devastating and how to determine who should be held liable. An employee might have left the spill you slipped in but our lawyers will direct your claim at their employer, who is ultimately responsible for their employer’s negligence.

    One of the most difficult cases to recover compensation in are product liability lawsuits. We file these claims when a designer or manufacturer puts a hazardous product on the market. It might be an appliance that catches fire, a vehicle that should have been recalled, or a prescription medication that causes adverse reactions. During your lawsuit, we can demand that the company that made the product turn over evidence, like spec designs, internal communications, and anything else relevant to the case that will help determine when the negligence occurred.

    Damages Our Attorneys Can Help You Claim in Your Greenwood, SC Personal Injury Lawsuit

    Injury victims with even minor injuries often have a host of losses that should be compensated, including economic damages, pain and suffering, and even punitive damages when the defendant acts egregiously.

    Financial Losses

    Economic damages are those that are paid out of pocket or by insurance. These financial losses can pile up quickly, even for relatively minor injuries. Medical bills, lost wages, damaged property, and other costs resulting from the accident are usually at the forefront of most personal injury victims’ minds as their finances are hit hard. Our team will calculate these monetary losses and the future losses you might not know you need to be covered until we consult with experts regarding your injuries. For instance, you are entitled to recover future medical treatment costs and lost earning potential if your profession is impacted.

    Non-Monetary Losses

    Your non-economic damages account for the other losses the defendant caused that are not monetary. Did you develop depression after getting injured? PTSD that puts you in a hypersensitive state whenever reminded of the accident? Or do you contend with physical pain even after your doctors’ have done everything they could to treat your injuries? Our team will determine the amount of your pain and suffering with the help of experts and evaluating your injuries’ seriousness.

    Punitive Damages

    Perhaps the defendant who injured you acted in a way that went beyond common negligence, like a drunk driver or a doctor who performed surgery on a different body part because they did not bother to check your chart. Perhaps a property owner had a hazard on their property that injured others before you and did nothing to address the problem. In these cases, the court might grant you punitive damages, not as compensation but to make an example of what will happen when a defendant acts in such a way.

    Unlike economic and non-economic damages, which only require that what happened is more likely than not, clear and convincing evidence is needed to get punitive damages, according to S.C. Code Ann. § 15-32-520(D). While these damages are capped in some cases, no limits are placed on these damages when the defendant is convicted of a felony or injured you because they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as per § 15-32-520(C).

    When You Should File a Personal Injury Claim in Greenwood, SC

    Time is critical after someone injures you. Not just because you need medical treatment quickly and gather evidence before it disappears but because you generally only have three years to file a claim once the accident occurred under § 15-3-530(5). Filing after the deadline will result in your case being dismissed unless an exception applies, which is rare.

    Children and persons under a disability are given more time to file, as are those injured by someone who left the state. However, you should let our team assess your case before relying on these exceptions.

    Contact Our Greenwood, SC Personal Injury Lawyer for Help Today with Your Case

    For a free assessment of your case from our personal injury lawyers, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (803) 219-4906.