Car Accident Injuries by the Numbers
Unfortunately, car accidents resulting in injuries happen often, quite frequently leaving families struggling and individual victims fighting for their life. Consider some of these statistics about South Carolina car accident injuries specifically.
According to the South Carolina Traffic Collision Fact Book 2019 Edition, there is:
- One injury accident every 13.6 minutes
- One fatal accident every 9.4 hours
- One property damage accident every 5.2 minutes
- One motorcyclist dies every 3 days
- One bicyclist dies every 13.5 days
- One pedestrian dies every 2.2 days
- One teen driver involved in an accident every 1.4 hours
- One child younger than 8 dies or suffers from serious injuries every 5.4 days
If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one to a car accident like this, it’s critical to take action now. Whether it was a distracted driver, or a truck accident brought on by a tired operator, you may have rights to compensation. From broken bones to brain injuries or even death, a simple mistake made by careless drivers, poorly maintained vehicles, or reckless driving can create long-term outcomes. Our South Carolina car accident lawyer can help you pursue financial compensation for your losses.
What are some common causes of car accidents in South Carolina? Here are a few common types of accidents:
- Mistakes due to inexperience: When an inexperienced driver gets behind the wheel and fails to act in a safe manner, this can lead to numerous consequences, including accidents. Inexperience is also a factor when road conditions are not safe such as in wet or icy conditions.
- Drunk driving: Any time a person gets behind the wheel impaired, which means the brain is unable to focus on the task of driving well enough to operate a vehicle safely, they put others at risk. DUI is often the cause of devastating outcomes.
- Distracted driving: This occurs when the person operating the vehicle pays attention to something other than the act of driving. Distraction accounts for many car accidents each year because it limits a person’s ability to safely navigate the roadways, often leading to head-on collisions.
- Reckless driving: Engaging in reckless behavior while driving puts people at risk. This includes speeding and merging at the wrong time. It may also mean following other drivers too close or veering over the center line. Aggressive driving like this puts many people at risk and is a common cause of accidents.
- Poor road conditions: In some situations, driving in poor road conditions can lead to spin-outs and collisions. Even if road conditions are present, drivers need to operate vehicles safely and may still be responsible for the damage they cause.
- Equipment failures: It is possible that some car accidents occur as a result of equipment failures, such as tire blowouts. In some cases, this is due to poor maintenance by the owner and operator of the vehicle. Other times, the manufacturer may be to blame.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common motor vehicle accident causes and their implications.
Drunk Driving Accidents
Drunk driving occurs when a person uses drugs or alcohol prior to operating a vehicle. This may include prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, or illicit drugs. When this occurs, their ability to react fast enough, respond to changing conditions, or drive safely is impaired. That puts you and all other drivers on the road at risk.
Drunk driving is more common than many people believe. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety reports that:
- Nearly half of all deadly car wrecks in the state involve impaired motorists.
- South Carolina law enforcement officials make nearly 22,000 DUI arrests in one year.
- One person dies from a drunk driver-involved accident every 30.8 hours.2
How do you know drunk driving caused the accident you’re facing?
You don’t always know this right away. When filling out a police report, be sure to document anything you saw before or after the accident that may indicate intoxication. This may include swerving, slow driving, drastic changes in direction, or lack of control. A police investigation may determine if this occurred, but your input may also help determine if this type of accident occurred.
HawkLaw has extensive experience working with victims of drunk driving accidents. We understand just how much these drivers can take from you with the decision to get behind the wheel intoxicated. We’re here to help you.
HawkLaw is committed to working closely with you to gather evidence and prove your case, helping you to secure the compensation owed to you. As a results-focused legal team, you can depend on our proven record of delivering settlements resulting from drunk driving.
Distracted Driving Accidents
Did you know that using a cell phone to text and drive is six times more dangerous than drunk driving? A simple text message can end a person’s life or create devastating results. Texts can always wait. Texting and driving is illegal in SC, regardless of whether it is urgent.
According to the South Carolina Department of Insurance, on average, there are two auto accidents every hour that involve a distracted motorist in this state.3 And, in 2019, South Carolina officials reported 18,836 collisions involving distracted driving.
Distracted driving occurs when a driver engages in an activity that takes their focus off the road or the act of driving. There are many types of distracted driving causes. Here are a few:
- Texting: Sending or reading a text message on a cell phone while operating a vehicle is highly dangerous. It often means taking at least one hand off the wheel and looking at the phone. Texting can lead to fatal consequences.
- Eating: Those who drive and eat at the same time are unable to focus fully on the road in front of them. Even if they think they can do so, the act involves removing a hand from the wheel and focusing on eating.
- Using a phone: Even though a person may think they can talk on the phone while operating the vehicle, doing so can be distracting if they pay attention to dialing a number, answering a call, or get too involved in the conversation to focus on the roadway.
- Grooming: Applying makeup, fixing hair, or other grooming activities are common causes of distracted driving. Often, this occurs when a person is rushed, putting them more at risk for making mistakes behind the wheel.
- Navigation systems: While navigation systems are designed today to minimize the amount of distraction a driver has, using this technology during the act of driving can be highly dangerous.
- Passengers. Talking to passengers, especially in heated conversations, may cause the driver to make mistakes behind the wheel. Having too many passengers in the vehicle can also be distracting and puts others at risk.
If you’ve been the victim of a distracted driver, try to gather any evidence about the incident to report to the police during the initial accident report. Be sure to let our attorney know what’s occurred as well. Did you see the driver engaging in an activity that caused them to be distracted? That’s valuable information in your case. Let your car accident lawyer know what occurred.
What Damages Can You Recover in a Car Accident Claim?
After a car accident, you may be owed compensation if you suffered losses brought on by the negligence of the other driver. This compensation may include more than you think.
You may wonder what type of compensation you can get in a car accident claim or insurance claim. Generally, to qualify for any compensation, you need to have suffered financial loss in some way.
There are two main types of damages available in car accident cases: monetary and non-monetary.
Monetary damages include:
- Emergency medical expenses: This may include all medical care you received at the time of the accident, including in the emergency room. Even if you are unsure you need medical attention, get it right after the accident to document what’s occurred. Conditions like whiplash may not be present right away, though. You may need additional care in the days following the accident.
- Cost of future medical treatment: This may include hospital stays to recover, medications you need to heal, complication-related costs such as from infection or repeat procedures, as well as long-term rehabilitation care.
- Loss of income: The time you are out of work due to the medical condition and any time necessary for appearing in court, if necessary, are losses you may be able to claim.
- Household expenses: If you have to make changes to your home due to the incident, such as adding medical equipment to accommodate a wheelchair or needing to hire help during your recovery, you may be able to get compensation for those losses.
- Canceled trips: Did you have to miss a trip because of the accident? Perhaps you had plans for the upcoming events in your life that you cannot make any longer.
Non-monetary damages include:
- Mental anguish: Many people suffer emotional distress at the time of the accident. You may have trauma from what’s occurred. That can impact your health and your quality of life.
- Pain and suffering: In some situations, the pain resulting directly from the accident may not improve in the long term. It may be quite intense even at the time of the accident.
- Loss of companionship: If your loved one died as a result of an accident, you may have lost years with them due to someone else’s mistake.
If the at-fault driver has a liability insurance policy, the driver’s insurance company is likely to pay these damages in an award or settlement.
HawkLaw will work closely with you to ensure any losses you’ve shared are fully documented. Our goal is to ensure you receive the compensation owed to you no matter what your losses are. If you aren’t sure about claims, that’s okay. We are here to help you. Don’t speak to the insurance company without your personal injury attorney by your side.
When Is There a “Shared Fault” in a Car Accident Case?
South Carolina’s car accident laws allow for “comparative negligence” in personal injury claims.4 This means that if you file a claim against someone, he or she may argue that you are partially to blame for the accident.
During a civil trial, the jury may issue a verdict stating you are 30% responsible for the accident. In this instance, your damages will be reduced to 70%.
Are you unsure if you are to blame for the accident? Don’t make any statements to that fact, but allow our team to help you. It is common for adjusters from car insurance companies to raise the possibility of comparative negligence so they don’t have to pay the full amount of damages.
It’s our job at HawkLaw to work to preserve your right to compensation. To do that, we’ll work closely with you to gather evidence in the case. We also will work closely with the insurance company on your behalf so there is less risk that you’ll say something that puts your case at risk. Insurance adjusters are known for using social media posts and statements you make against you, even if you are a victim.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Car Accidents?
South Carolina personal injury laws place a three-year time limit on personal injury claims in most circumstances.4 Whether you are seeking compensation for vehicle damage, personal injury, or the wrongful death of a loved one, the law provides you with a timeframe of three years to ask the state court for a civil case.
The three-year clock starts running on the date the accident occurs or the date of the death in the instance of a wrongful death claim.
What does this mean in your case? First, don’t be overly concerned with the statute of limitations. Your best bet is to seek immediate help with your case as soon as the accident occurs (after you receive medical care). Allow our attorneys to handle the process every step of the way after that.
Second, know that our goal is to help you get a settlement sooner. That means gathering evidence and working with you to file your claim as quickly as possible. This helps protect your right to compensation. Even if you think this statute of limitations has lapsed, reach out to us to learn what options we may be able to offer.
Talk to an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible to ensure your case gets heard. We serve most of South Carolina, including Greenville, Columbia, Charleston, and Spartanburg. You deserve a personal injury attorney to guide you through this legal process. Contact HawkLaw’s auto accident lawyers for a case evaluation. *
