Did another driver cause your Rock Hill, SC, auto accident? If so, you can likely file a personal injury claim or lawsuit and seek fair compensation for your injuries and other damages. Our car accident lawyers help accident victims seek compensation by holding the responsible party accountable. We handle the entire process, and you benefit from our legal experience.
At Schiller & Hamilton, we understand the pain you may have suffered from an accident injury’s effect on your job, family, and finances. For more than two decades, our dedicated Rock Hill personal injury lawyers have been helping crash victims secure the full and fair compensation they need to recover and move forward with their lives. Contact us today for a free consultation.
How Could a Rock Hill Attorney Help in an Auto Accident Case?
An auto accident takes only seconds to drastically and permanently change your life. They can arise from any number of circumstances, from bad weather to distracted driving and phone use, and can happen anywhere, including in parking lots or with a rideshare driver.
We understand that immediately following a wreck, you may not have calling an attorney at the top of your to-do list. After all, the first step following any major roadway collision is to get medical attention for yourself and your passengers, if applicable. Then there are the headaches of figuring out how badly your vehicle is damaged and what needs to be done to get it fixed or replaced.
However, contacting an attorney quickly can help you avoid mistakes in your property damage and personal injury claim. When you hire our team, our knowledgeable attorneys will work quickly to investigate your accident lawsuit, protect your rights, and take the legal and financial pressures off you. You can focus on your treatment and physical recovery while we take care of your claim, deal with the insurance carrier, or take other steps in your legal case.
Ways Our Rock Hill Car Crash Injury Attorneys Can Help
Our Rock Hill, SC, collision team handles a wide range of motor vehicle accident claims. We seek economic damages and non-economic damages on behalf of our clients by holding the negligent driver accountable.
Some of the ways that our auto accident team frequently helps clients include:
- Finding proper medical care and identifying ways to pay for it
- Getting estimates for car repair, reimbursement for rental cars, and calculating adequate compensation for loss of use
- Protecting your ability to cover future expenses during a period away from work or loss of income issues
- Protecting your rights in dealing with law enforcement or contacting insurance companies
- Preserving eyewitness testimony, inspecting the damaged vehicles, documenting traffic conditions, and otherwise gathering the evidence that will be essential to proving your claims
- Ensuring we document your injuries with videos, photographs, relevant medical records, and expert testimony
- Hiring a medical professional or other experts to analyze your injury’s lifetime effect and how it will continue to add to your out-of-pocket expenses
At Schiller & Hamilton, our experienced South Carolina personal injury attorneys focus on fighting for our clients. If you were hurt in a Rock Hill collision, you do not have to go it alone. We’ve got your back.
We have more than 25 years of experience in personal injury, workers’ compensation, and family law cases. Our experienced team of skilled and compassionate attorneys is dedicated to fighting for our clients’ best interests. We keep our clients informed and up-to-date about their cases throughout the legal process.
Schiller & Hamilton offers free consultations for injured victims in a Rock Hills crash. We also work on a contingency fee basis. Our clients never pay upfront fees and only pay attorney’s fees when we recover compensation for them.
For a free legal consultation with a Rock Hill Car Accident Lawyer call 1-803-366-0333
What Are Some of the Most Common Auto Accident Injuries Our Rock Hill Lawyers See?
Many people falsely believe that only significant crashes with more property damage can cause severe injuries. The truth is that even a minor car accident can lead to catastrophic injuries. This is because it takes very little force to cause damage to bones, joints, the spinal cord, and your brain.
Common motor vehicle accident injuries include:
- Closed head injuries, concussions, and other traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries, including quadriplegia and paralysis, whether permanent or temporary
- Back and neck injuries, such as bulging and herniated discs
- A torn rotator cuff and other shoulder injuries
- Nerve injuries, including loss of sensation and paresthesia
- Whiplash and other neck injuries
- Internal injuries, including bruised, lacerated, or damaged organs
- Crush injuries
- Fractured and broken bones, including the pelvic bone, ribs, and sternum
- Torn ligaments
- Facial injuries, eye injuries, and dental injuries
- Lacerations and cuts, and corresponding scars and severe disfigurements
- Muscle strain or sprain
- Dislocated joints
- Arm and hand injuries
- Leg, knee, and hip injuries
- Wrongful death
The attorneys at Schiller & Hamilton understand the wide range of physical injuries that can occur in a crash. This includes catastrophic, life-altering injuries that come with extended hospital stays, inpatient rehabilitation, and ongoing treatment and care. Some people never return to their jobs or other previous activities. They deserve fair compensation based on the at-fault driver’s wrongful actions.
Our legal team will obtain all your X-rays, medical records, and reports so that we can demonstrate the scope and severity of your injuries. We use these records to lay out a compelling case for the insurance adjuster. We issue a demand letter for fair compensation, telling the insurance carrier what we believe their policyholder’s legal obligation to our client includes. This usually leads to settlement negotiations and could result in a fair settlement offer.
Rock Hill Car Accident Lawyer Near Me 1-803-366-0333
How Our Rock Hill Collision Attorneys Prove Negligence
The ability to collect fair accident compensation depends on whether the other driver was negligent. To prove negligence, you must be able to establish the following:
- The other party had a duty of care to demonstrate a reasonable level of safety
- The negligent party breached their duty of care
- That breach directly led to your injuries
- You experienced damages due to your injuries
In most car crash cases, the duty of care comes from applicable traffic laws. When a driver violates the law, they breach their duty of care to others on the road. This is often the proximate cause of a crash. For example, failing to yield to oncoming traffic when turning left often leads to intersection collisions.
Those involved suffer injuries, expenses, and losses. We file insurance claims and seek accident settlements for our clients hurt in these cases. When necessary, we sue for compensation, including money for their non-economic damages such as emotional distress and physical pain.
Our personal injury law firm can help you fight for your right to get the compensation due to you. In addition, we make those responsible for wrongdoing accountable for their actions.
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Common Forms of Negligence That May Have Caused Your Rock Hill Collision
Highways have a well-deserved reputation for being risky environments where accidents occur frequently. For example, frustration on the interstate may lead to recklessness, resulting in poor decision-making.
Additionally, your collision may have been caused by other types of driver carelessness, such as intoxicated or inattentive driving. No matter the wrongful act, you have a right to compensation. To proceed with your case, we must first determine how the activities of the other motorist contributed to your vehicle accident.
The following are some examples of common types of carelessness that may have led to your collision:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Unsafe lane change
- Failure to yield at stop sign/light
- Failure to yield to the right-of-way
- Tailgating
- Texting
- Defective/faulty vehicle parts
- Drunk driving
- Road rage
- Weather conditions
- Illegal U-turn
- Roadway hazards
- Failure to adhere to traffic laws
- Reckless driving
Your negligence can also add to your car accident. Your injury accident attorney will discuss your possible contribution to the crash when you have your initial free case review. The actions of those involved in a collision can affect the accident settlement. As your Rock Hill car accident attorney, our job is to show the other driver’s liability, recovering compensatory damages for your expenses and losses.
Our Rock Hill Lawyers Use Utilize Varying Evidence Sources for Your Car Accident Case
Because irresponsible drivers and their auto insurance providers sometimes reject responsibility for causing automobile accidents, our team will compile evidence from various sources. While looking into the evidence from the car accident scene, we obtain police accident reports and collect witness testimony.
In addition, we can collaborate with simulators and computer animators to recreate the circumstances surrounding the accident. The evidence and data we retrieve can help construct visual presentations that our team can use to communicate the events to the judge or jury.
We may also collaborate with experts, including:
- Accident reconstruction specialists
- Surveyors
- Skidmark analysts
- Doctors and medical specialists
- Economists
We often negotiate settlements in injury and property damage claims. If our attorneys cannot negotiate adequate compensation on your behalf, we are fully prepared to take your case to court and have it decided by a judge or jury.
Let Our Rock Hill Car Accident Lawyers Handle the Insurance Companies
You can’t count on the insurance adjuster to look out for your interests in a negotiated settlement agreement. The insurance carrier’s goal is to settle your claim for the lowest amount possible while protecting its access to reimbursement from other sources.
If you or a family member has been seriously hurt in a crash, you can expect the insurance company to call on its team of lawyers immediately. You can avoid many mistakes in dealing with them by acting quickly to protect your legal rights by hiring a Rock Hill car accident attorney.
After a severe vehicle collision, many victims focus on the problems that arise in the immediate aftermath. Emergency room bills, missed time from work, and car repair expenses can quickly add up.
During this vulnerable time, insurance companies may try to jump in and offer lowball settlements to relieve the panic over initial expenses. Do not sign or accept payments without talking to our experienced attorneys.
Our Rock Hill Team Will Argue for Maximum Compensation After Your Car Crash
Our experienced lawyers will want to thoroughly evaluate your losses to make the argument for recoverable damages. This may include current and future medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and punitive damages.
And, because we work on a contingency fee basis, you don’t owe us a penny unless and until we secure financial compensation in your case.
Current and Future Medical Expenses
Our attorneys know that medical debt can be difficult to overcome. We help our clients seek and recover the full amount necessary to pay for their current and future accident-related medical care, support, therapy, and other related expenses. This begins with transportation to the hospital and continues throughout the rest of your lifetime, as needed.
Our team knows how to estimate your future medical expenses with help from experts. We gather information about your care plan, prognosis, and the effects of your injuries on your daily life with help from these experts.
Lost Wages
A car accident can cause you to experience financial losses because you cannot work or are forced to take a lesser-paying job due to your injury. Some people cannot work at all due to lasting injuries after a Rock Hill crash. Our team will file a compensation claim for the reduction in your future earnings, sometimes called diminished earning capacity.
Property Damage
We will pursue the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and any other personal property damaged in the crash, even if it was only minor damage. In addition, we will demand compensation for the diminished value of the vehicle due to the wreck.
Pain and Suffering
It’s tough to think about putting a price on the physical injuries, emotional distress, and psychological toll an accident takes on a person. However, our team will work with you to document how your injuries have caused mental anguish and bodily harm, and we will demand that this pain and suffering be accounted for in any settlement or award. The money paid as compensation for pain and suffering is often the largest part of these payouts.
How Long Do You Have to Hire a Rock Hill Car Accident Lawyer After a Crash?
If you or a family member has been seriously hurt in an automobile crash, you can expect the insurance company to call on its team of lawyers immediately. For this reason, you should act quickly to protect your legal rights. Hiring a personal injury attorney as quickly as possible following your accident will maximize the value of your case.
The faster you hire a personal injury attorney, the more time they have to investigate and gather the necessary information to build a strong case and win compensation. Some evidence disappears in the first days and weeks following a collision. This could include key information about negligence and liability. Examples include video of the collision, eyewitness statements, and more.
We recommend calling us as soon as your injuries allow you to make the phone call. If your loved one suffered catastrophic injuries, you can call us on their behalf. We provide free initial case consultations for injured parties and their immediate family members. Let us review your case to determine how we can help.
How Long Does a Car Accident Lawsuit Take in Rock Hill?
Because the facts surrounding every vehicle accident case are unique, the time it takes to possibly recover compensation could vary greatly. The circumstances that play a role could include:
- Any witnesses available for interviews
- Past and future medical care
- The insurance adjuster and carrier involved
- If fault is admitted or needs to be determined
- Whether litigation is necessary
Depending on the reasons discussed above, you may find that your case takes anywhere from several months to several years to complete. Our team will provide guidance and advice based on the unique facts of your case once we agree to work together.
Our Rock Hill Attorneys Handle Wrongful Death Cases
Car accidents are among the most common causes of death among people under 40. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 32,000 Americans die, and two million are injured annually due to traffic crashes.
When someone dies due to another person’s negligence, the surviving loved ones are entitled to file a wrongful death lawsuit, and our compassionate attorneys can help.
We will pursue an adequate compensation amount needed to help families heal and get back on solid financial ground. A wrongful death claim involves filing a lawsuit within one year after the date of death. The complaint must include:
- An affidavit stating who died
- A list of all known beneficiaries
- Proof of death certificate
- A description of the cause of death
- If there is no surviving spouse, then evidence of relationship to the deceased
- If the deceased had children, the court would appoint a guardian ad litem (GAL) to represent their interests
- The GAL will also act as a liaison between the plaintiff and the defendant
Because the deceased individual cannot pursue the claim on their own, it is crucial to choose a qualified plaintiff. Only the executor of the deceased person’s estate can bring legal action in South Carolina, as stated in §15-51-20 of the South Carolina Code.
In a legal will, the deceased person may select someone to be the executor of their estate, or a court may appoint someone for the sole purpose of pursuing a claim. Call our offices for more information about filing a wrongful death claim.
Contact a Rock Hill Car Accident Attorney for Help
Our dedicated personal injury attorneys are proud that so many of our clients have recommended us to friends and family down the line. We work hard every day to exceed our clients’ expectations.
If you are ready to discuss your case with an experienced car accident lawyer, call the Schiller & Hamilton law firm for a free consultation. With a long track record of success in both settlement negotiations and jury trials, our attorneys are always prepared to fight for the maximum compensation our clients deserve based on their case facts.
Contact us today via phone or by completing our contact form to get started.
Call or text 1-803-366-0333 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form