Hilton Head Island Personal Injury Lawyer

An injury can have serious consequences that ripple across your life. Not only are injuries painful, but they might also be expensive to treat and impact the overall quality of someone’s life. If this sounds like your situation, an attorney can help you file a personal injury lawsuit to recover damages. The more severe your injuries, the greater your potential compensation.

Personal injury law is a broad field that encompasses a wide range of injuries, accidents, and claims. Some cases our team has experience with include premises liability, auto accidents, and amusement park accidents. Your damages in these cases depend on your injuries, losses, and how your life has changed since the accident. Compensatory damages make up for what you have lost, while punitive damages serve to punish the defendant. We need to gather evidence to prove your claims before you can receive any compensation for your damages.

Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (803) 219-4906 and ask our Savannah, SC personal injury lawyers for a free initial case review.

Common Legal Claims Involving Personal Injuries on Hilton Head Island

Personal injury claims are broad, and all sorts of accidents and injuries may be deemed personal injury claims. It would be best to have an attorney with experience working with claims like yours, as the law varies greatly from case to case. Below are some, but not necessarily all, of the cases our personal injury lawyers on Hilton Head Island have worked on and can help you with.

Premises Liability

Premises liability cases involve accidents resulting from dangerous conditions on someone’s property. A classic example is a slip and fall accident. Maybe you fell on a slippery floor in a store or other business and badly injured your arm. You could sue the store for failing to keep the premises safe. If someone has invited you onto their property, or you are otherwise authorized to be on the property without an invitation, the owner has a legal duty to repair or remove any hazards and make reasonable inspections for unknown hazards.

Auto Accidents

Car crashes are among the most common personal injury cases. Many people drive almost every day, so the number of accidents each year is staggering. While car accidents are certainly serious, they do not always lead to the same injuries. You might only suffer minor injuries that require minimal medical treatment. You might instead be gravely hurt and need expensive emergency medical care. An attorney can help you sue for your losses, whatever they might be, including your damages and the damage to your vehicle.

Amusement Park Accidents

While people often have fun at amusement parks, they can be very dangerous places if those in charge fail to maintain the premises and the equipment. Rollercoaster accidents, injuries from defective carnival games, or falling accidents on stairs and walkways are not uncommon. Some of these accidents can be devastating, even fatal, and you deserve fair compensation.

Recoverable Damages in Hilton Head Island Personal Injury Cases

Your damages represent what you have lost and endured because of the accident caused by the defendant. Most people may recover compensatory damages to make up for things like monetary costs and painful personal experiences. In a select few cases, punitive damages might be available. They are awarded to punish defendants, but only under very specific circumstances.

Compensatory Damages

Compensatory damages are intended to make up for whatever the plaintiff might have lost because of the defendant’s negligence. This usually includes the financial costs of the accident, but plaintiffs may also claim more subjective damages like pain and suffering.

Some common examples of economic damages include medical bills, property damage, and even lost income if your injuries prevent you from returning to work. Non-economic damages often do not relate to money, and their value is somewhat open to interpretation. Pain, emotional distress, psychological injuries, and other painful yet subjective experiences may be included in these damages.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are much less common, and most cases do not involve punitive damages awards. However, if they are available in your case, they may be worth substantial compensation.

Punitive damages are designed to punish defendants and deter future bad acts. According to S.C. Code Ann. § 15-32-520(D), plaintiffs must prove their claims for punitive damages by “clear and convincing evidence,” which is a very high burden of proof. We must prove that the defendant acted with reckless, wanton, or willful conduct. This is usually something far beyond ordinary negligence.

Under subsection (E) of this law, the jury may consider various factors when deciding punitive damages, including the defendant’s culpability, the severity of harm, how long the conduct lasted, and even the defendant’s ability to pay.

According to § 15-32-530(A), the law limits punitive damages to triple the value of compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is more. Under subsection (B), the statutory cap may be extended or even lifted under specific circumstances.

Using Evidence to Support Your Personal Injury Case on Hilton Head Island

Evidence can be tricky to obtain. It might look like anything, as long as it is relevant to our case and helps us prove your claims. Photos and videos are common examples of evidence. Maybe you were in a car accident and took photos of the crash scene while waiting for help to arrive. Maybe you slipped and fell in the grocery store, and security cameras recorded everything. These recordings might make for powerful evidence.

We should also consider obtaining copies of your medical records about your injuries. These records may help us prove how severe your injuries are, how much they cost to treat, and whether you may experience any painful or long-term complications.

We should also work to track down people who were at the scene of your accident and have them testify as witnesses. Witness testimony can be very persuasive, especially when multiple witnesses have strong, clear memories of the accident and the events leading up to it. The more witnesses who back you up in court, the more likely you will win your case.

Speak to Our Personal Injury Attorneys on Hilton Head Island About Your Claims Now

Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (803) 219-4906 and ask our personal injury attorneys on Hilton Head Island for a free initial case review.