Have you or a loved one been injured in an accident in Edgefield County, South Carolina? If so, you could be entitled to compensation from those responsible for your suffering. The experienced Edgefield County personal injury lawyers at Hawk Law Group can help you get every cent you deserve.
Combined, our trial attorneys have more than 71 years of litigation experience. Since 1984, we’ve been here to help our clients win the toughest personal injury disputes. In that time, we have obtained tens of millions of dollars in awards for accident victims like you.
When you call us for help, we’ll work tirelessly to get you the best outcome. Contact our law offices, conveniently located in Edgefield County, SC, to get started with a free case evaluation now.
Why You’ll Want Hawk Law Group On Your Side If You’ve Been Injured in Edgefield County, SC
If you’ve recently been injured in an accident, you may feel like your life is upside down. You need time to recover. Medical bills might be stacking up, and you might be forced to take time off work. You deserve to get compensated for your injuries, missed wages, and property damage. Hiring an Edgefield County personal injury lawyer can help you succeed.
Here’s why you should trust Hawk Law Group when so much is riding on the outcome of your personal injury case:
- Our lawyers have more than 70 years of combined experience in litigation
- Since 1984, we’ve been advocating successfully for accident victims and grieving families in Edgefield County, SC
- We’re trusted and respected in the CSRA and have obtained millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements.
- We are known for our personal attention and dedication to our clients.
If someone else caused your injuries, they should be held responsible. Let Hawk Law Group help you get the compensation you deserve. Call our Edgefield County law office for a free consultation today.
Edgefield County, SC Accident Statistics
According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, there were at least 319 reported car accidents in Edgefield County, SC in 2019. When an accident happens in Edgefield County, it tends to be serious. Statistics show that 65% of people involved in crashes suffer injuries or don’t survive. That’s nearly 2 out of every 3 accidents resulting in injury or death.
There were an additional 4,081 crashes in neighboring Aiken County, SC in 2019, a slight increase from 3,907 crashes in 2018. Edgefield County’s accidents decreased slightly from 2018, when there were 347 crashes.
Hawk Law Group: A Full-Service Personal Injury Law Firm in Edgefield County, SC
At Hawk Law Group, we exclusively represent clients in personal injury cases. We handle cases involving severe, catastrophic injuries and help families who have suffered unimaginable losses.
Our practice areas include, but aren’t limited to:
- Car accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Workers’ compensation
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Dog bites
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Defective product and product liability cases
- Wrongful death
- Premises liability
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Edgefield County, SC, our personal injury lawyers can help. Call our law office today for a free consultation.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?
Maybe, if you’ve been injured through little-to-no fault of your own. Did you get hurt because someone else was careless? Were you harmed by a defective product? Were you exposed to hazardous conditions one someone else’s property? Have you been the victim of an intentional assault or attack?
If you answered “yes,” to any of these questions, then you might have a personal injury case. Keep in mind you’ll have to prove that you’ve suffered damages – like medical bills or disability – and that another person is legally responsible for your trauma.
Hawk Law Group can help you discover your legal rights and options. Don’t hesitate to reach out to set up a free consultation to learn more today.
Do I Still Have a Case If I’m Being Blamed For an Accident?
Yes – as long as you’re not assigned half or most of the blame. Once your liability is equal to or exceeds 50%, you’ll no longer have the right to pursue compensation from other parties.
Sharing less than 50% of the blame won’t bar a recovery, but it will impact your financial award. Your damages will be reduced to reflect your role in the accident. Say you’re assigned 15% fault for your accident. Your financial award will be reduced by 15%. So, if your damages total $100,000, the most you could walk away with would be $85,000.
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
It’s one of the best decisions you can make after you or a loved one is involved in an accident in South Carolina.
Here’s why:
You Need Help Facing the Insurance Company
The process after any accident usually involves filing a claim with an insurance company. They’ll try to give you a lowball offer. You may not realize what your injuries are worth. Truthfully, if you go it alone, you’ll be no match for the insurance company. You need an experienced personal injury attorney on your side.
You May Need Experts to Prove Your Case
Accidents are usually not as straightforward as they seem. A construction accident, for example, can be pretty complex. More than one party could be liable for your injuries. It’s important to explore all options to get the compensation you deserve. That means holding all parties accountable. Experts play a key role in getting a comprehensive and fair assessment of all injuries and inconveniences caused by the accident. A personal injury attorney who knows the process will know which experts will be most helpful to your case.
You Need a Strong Advocate
Insurance companies will try to find ways to get out of paying you what you deserve. The easiest way to do this is to say that you were responsible for the accident. Thankfully, in South Carolina, even if you are partially to blame, you could still receive compensation for your injuries. But you should only take responsibility for what is fair. A personal injury attorney will fight back and make sure that the blame game doesn’t prevent you from recovering the compensation you rightfully deserve.
You Need Time to Rest
Accidents can be devastating. In addition to the money you are out for your injuries, you are suffering physically and emotionally. Let your personal injury attorney worry about getting the compensation you deserve so that you can focus on rest and recovery.
How Much is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
In truth, each case is unique.
The value of your specific case will depend on factors such as:
- The severity of your injuries
- Whether your injuries are temporary or permanent
- How much work (if any) you missed because of your injuries
- Whether you incurred additional costs such as nursing case or child care expenses
- How you’ve been affected emotionally
- Your out-of-pocket costs (both present and future)
Higher awards are usually given for more severe or long-term injuries. Without knowing the specific details of your individual case, it’s impossible to value your case. For a full case evaluation, call our personal injury attorney in Edgefield County, SC today.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?
Each state has a law limiting the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit in any particular case. This is called the statute of limitations. In South Carolina, most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within 3 years of your injury. If you are planning to file a lawsuit against a government entity, such as a county hospital or county police department, you only have 2 years to file your lawsuit.
There are some very specific provisions in the statute of limitations for certain types of cases. If you miss the deadline that applies to your case you’ll forfeit the right to file a lawsuit. Call Hawk Law Group to protect your rights today.
What Damages Are Available to Edgefield County Accident Victims?
In South Carolina, damages typically fall into one of two categories: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages are paid to make you financially whole after an accident, and include things like:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages and income
- Disability
- Cost of domestic services
- Property damage, and more.
Non-economic damages are what you typically think of as “pain and suffering.”
These types of damages are compensation for things like:
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life activities, and
- Loss of consortium.
Punitive damages could be available if your accident was caused due to someone’s extremely reckless or even intentional behavior. Consult with our personal injury attorneys in Edgefield County to get a better idea of what damages might be available in your particular case.
How Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help Me After an Accident?
You might think that you can handle the claims after an accident on your own. It’s certainly possible, but you have a much better chance of recovering the maximum amount for your injuries if you let a personal injury lawyer help you. They know the process. There are things you won’t know to ask for. Without an attorney, you could get less than you deserve. Worse, you could risk getting nothing at all.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means if they don’t win, you don’t pay. So there really is no downside to pursuing a case. They collect their fee as a percentage of the total award that they secure on your behalf. The typical percentage is between 33% and 40% of the total award. Be sure to read your fee agreement. That will have specific details related to your individual case.
At Hawk Law Group, we’ve demonstrated that we have the ability to win – and win big – for our clients. That’s why we don’t hesitate to assume the risks of litigation so our clients don’t have to. When you hire us to represent you, there’s no cost unless we win. That’s right: no win, no fee. Guaranteed.
South Carolina Personal Injury Law Overview
Your personal injury case will be governed by a number of different state laws.
The most important laws affecting South Carolina personal injury cases are:
- Statute of limitations: This tells you how long you have to file your lawsuit. In South Carolina, the deadline for filing most personal injury cases is three years after your injury.
- Limits on non-economic damages: If your case is a medical malpractice case, damages are capped at $350,000 per defendant or $1,050,000 total if there are multiple defendants.
- Modified comparative negligence: If you were partially at fault for your injuries, you can still receive some compensation as long as you were not more than 50% responsible.
- Punitive damages: These are designed to punish the person who caused your injuries so hopefully no one else has to suffer the way that you have. These are separate from economic or non-economic damages. South Carolina laws for punitive damages are complex. A personal injury attorney can tell you if punitive damages might be available in your case.
This is just a short list of the laws and statutes that might apply to your case. Keep in mind that personal injury cases are complex. It’s important to have an experienced and knowledgeable attorney handling your case to ensure that all applicable laws and procedures are followed.
What is Negligence and How Do I Prove It?
Negligence occurs when someone fails to act in a way that is reasonable under the circumstances. Unlike criminal law, negligence is a theory of law that isn’t based on specific acts that are prohibited. Instead, it’s based on the idea that people should generally conduct themselves in a way that doesn’t cause harm to other people.
Many accidents are preventable, if people would just be a little more careful. Most personal injury lawsuits are based on negligence.
To prove negligence, you must prove four elements:
- Duty
- Breach
- Causation
- Damages
You have to show that the defendant owed you a “duty of care.” That just means that the defendant was obligated not to harm you. You then have to show that the defendant failed to uphold that obligation (breached the duty of care). Then you have to prove that the breach of duty caused your injury and that you suffered damages as a result. You can think of it as a big chain reaction. If you fail to prove any one of the elements, you won’t win your case.
There are different ways to prove your case. Just telling your story, while important, is probably not enough. You may need:
- Eyewitnesses to testify about the accident
- Medical bills to show your expenses
- Economists to testify about the extent of your lost wages
- Medical experts to testify about the severity of your injuries
Proving your case can be difficult. You need an experienced personal injury attorney on your side. Call the personal injury attorneys in Edgefield County, SC for a free consultation.
I Was Involved in an Accident in Edgefield County: What Should I Do Now?
After an accident in South Carolina, the steps you take are actually really important.
Here’s how to keep yourself safe and protect your ability to recover compensation:
- Report the accident as soon as you can. Call 911 for traffic accidents and notify proper parties for other types of incidents (e.g., government agencies, property owners, companies, employers).
- Seek medical care immediately. A doctor will evaluate your condition and document your injuries – which are both important if you’ve been seriously hurt.
- Resist the urge to apologize. Admitting fault can destroy your ability to recover compensation. Instead, check to see if others are okay and sit tight until help arrives.
- Decline an adjuster’s request to provide a recorded statement. Insurance adjusters will probably ask you to make a statement on the record. Don’t. They’ll try to find a way to twist your words or take them out of context.
- Call a lawyer in Edgefield County. Hiring a lawyer to handle your case can give you time to recover and protect you from tricky insurance adjusters.
Even one small misstep could hurt your personal injury case before it even starts. If you’re ever unsure of what to do, don’t hesitate to call Hawk Law Group for guidance. Our team is here to help when you need us most.
Your Trusted Edgefield County Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Edgefield County, SC, Hawk Law Group can help you fight to get the compensation you deserve. Call our Edgefield County personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation. Our team is always standing by to take your call – 24/7/365.
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