Spartanburg Car Accident Lawyer
When you get into a car accident, it impacts nearly every aspect of your life. Suddenly, you may face a stack of medical bills and other expenses. Your injuries may also prevent you from working and earning income. Like many people, you may never be able to return to your job after a crash due to chronic pain or lingering disability.
At Stewart Law Offices, our Spartanburg personal injury lawyers provide the skilled and compassionate legal service that victims and their families need during these difficult times. We treat our clients like family. We protect them like family, too. We don’t let insurance companies bully them around, and we fight for the compensation they deserve.
If you suffered injuries in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, or if you lost a loved one in a crash, contact us today for a free consultation. You can reach us 24/7. If you can’t come to our Spartanburg office, we’ll come to you – we offer home and hospital visits.
Steps to Take After a Spartanburg Car Accident?
If you have never been involved in a car accident before, you may be unsure of what to do next. As a result, you could make mistakes that hurt your ability to recover compensation for your injuries and losses.
To avoid those mistakes, we suggest that you do the following after a crash in Spartanburg:
- Get medical attention. As soon as you can, you should see your doctor or visit a local medical facility such as Mary Black Health System or Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. If you wait too long, your injuries may only get worse. Additionally, timely documentation of your injuries can help prevent an insurance company from claiming that your injuries are not serious or related to your car accident.
- Keep everything. You should keep records of all your accident-related expenses, including medical bills and car repair receipts. You should also keep photos you took at the accident scene and the names and phone numbers of any witnesses.
- Report the accident to your own insurance company. You need to give the green FR-10 form that you got at the crash scene to your insurance company. The insurer must fill out and send the form to the S.C. Department of Transportation within 15 days of your accident to show that you have proper liability insurance.
- Get a copy of the accident report. The report can provide helpful information about your crash. You can order a copy through the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles or go directly to the agency that filed the report such as the Spartanburg Police Department, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, or C. Highway Patrol (Troop 3, Post D).
- Don’t talk with other driver’s insurance companies. An insurance adjuster may call you within days after your accident. Before you talk with a lawyer, you should refrain from giving any statement to the adjuster or accepting a settlement offer.
- Call Stewart Law Offices for a free consultation. We will review the facts of your case, discuss your rights and options, and answer your questions. Once you hire us, we can take over all communication with the insurance company and allow you to focus on your health and your family.
How Can Our Lawyers Help You After a Car Accident?
Our founding attorney, Brent P. Stewart, has more than two decades of experience in handling car accident claims in Spartanburg and throughout South Carolina. He is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum* and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum* – honors bestowed only on lawyers** who have won million and multi-million-dollar verdicts, awards, and settlements. He has assembled a legal team that will know how to pursue maximum compensation for you.
When we take on your case, our legal team will:
- Thoroughly investigate your accident. We will take immediate steps to preserve, collect, and study evidence that establishes why your car accident happened and who should be held responsible for it.
- Calculate your damages. We will also gather and examine your medical records and other evidence that establishes the physical, emotional, and financial harm that you have suffered. In many cases, we consult with medical professionals in order to better understand a client’s injuries.
- Pursue full and fair compensation. Our attorneys prepare solid cases for trial. Our hard work and preparation give us leverage when we present cases to insurance companies and demand full and fair settlements for our clients.
In addition to these steps, we can help you deal with medical bill collectors and other creditors while your case is pending. We also often assist clients with their property damage claims. Our goal is to relieve your stress and help you get through one of the most difficult times you may face in your life.
We represent car accident clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will pay nothing unless we secure compensation for you. If we obtain a settlement or verdict, our fees will represent a percentage of the award. We will then be reimbursed for any funds our firm expands on pursuing your claim.
Common Questions Our Car Accident Attorneys Are Asked
While you are free to handle your claim yourself, car accident claims can be complicated. You probably don’t have the time or energy to gather evidence, document losses, investigate the accident, negotiate with insurance companies, prepare a demand package, and do everything else involved in a personal injury claim. An experienced South Carolina car accident lawyer from Stewart Law Offices can handle your claim while you focus on your recovery.
Unfortunately, there’s not a simple answer to this question because every case is different. An experienced car accident lawyer will take the time to build a solid claim that fairly compensates you for your losses. You can trust our team to protect your rights and to expedite your claim as much as possible.
The most important priority after being hurt in a car accident in South Carolina is getting medical treatment. After a crash, many people wonder whether it’s best to go through their health insurance or through the at-fault driver’s insurance company first. Here, Stewart Law Offices breaks down what you should do and why.
That depends on your injuries, the circumstances of the car accident, the other driver’s insurance policy limits, and the terms of your own auto policy. The insurance company will only pay up to the at-fault driver’s policy limits.
However, if you were hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver, you may be able to recoup your losses through your own insurance company.
Why Do Car Accidents Happen in Spartanburg?
Driving can be dangerous in Spartanburg. In 2016 alone, a total of 9,832 collisions occurred on county roads, killing 54 people and injuring 3,967 others, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety. Only four other counties in South Carolina had more accidents. The Post and Courier report that I-85 and East Main Street in Spartanburg actually rank as one of the top 10 worst intersections in the state based on the number of crashes that occur there.
Some of the common types of negligence that cause car accidents in the area include:
- Distracted driving (including talking on phones and texting while driving)
- Speeding, tailgating, and other forms of aggressive driving
- Drunk driving and driving while impaired by illegal or prescription drugs
- Driving while overly fatigued (a major problem with commercial drivers)
- Driving with a lack of experience (a leading cause of teen crashes)
- Auto defects (due to poor design or manufacturing or due to negligent inspection and maintenance of a vehicle)
- Dangerous road conditions (often due to a government agency’s failure to maintain roads)
We represent victims of all kinds of car accidents, including those that involve tractor-trailers, motorcycles, pedestrians, and bicycles. We also assist clients with claims that involve uninsured motorists, hit-and-run accidents, and underinsured drivers. Contact us today, and we can review the specific facts of your accident.
Spartanburg Car Accident Injuries
Our legal team understands the devastating impact of injuries that people sustain in car accidents. We often work with clients in Spartanburg who have suffered physical and mental injuries such as:
- Spinal cord injury (SCI)
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Fractures
- Burns
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Internal bleeding or organ damage
- Whiplash and other soft tissue injuries
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
What Damages Can You Recover After an Auto Accident?
We work tirelessly for our clients and aggressively pursue maximum compensation for the harm they have suffered. While every case is different, the types of damages we typically seek for our clients include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost income and reduced future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages (if a case involves exceptional misconduct)
Suppose your loved one died in a crash in Spartanburg. In that case, you may be eligible to recover wrongful death damages, including compensation for funeral and burial expenses and the loss of a loved one’s financial support.
You may choose to settle your case or take it to trial. The decision will always be yours – and yours alone – to make. No insurance adjuster or lawyer should ever pressure you into making a decision. Our firm will always provide an open and honest assessment of any settlement offers that you receive and help you to make an informed decision.
How Long Do You Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in South Carolina?
Under South Carolina law, you will have only a limited period of time to file a car accident lawsuit. This is called the statute of limitations. If you fail to bring a legal claim before the statute of limitations expires, you will likely miss the chance to recover any compensation for your car accident injuries.
Generally, in South Carolina, you must file a personal injury claim within three years from the date of your auto accident. If your loved one died in a crash, you must bring a wrongful death claim within three years of death. Because of these time limits, you should not wait to seek help from an experienced Spartanburg car accident lawyer.
Our Spartanburg Car Accident Attorneys Are Ready to Help You
Don’t wait to take action. If someone else’s negligence caused a car accident in Spartanburg that injured you or caused the loss of your loved one, contact Stewart Law Offices today. We are available to discuss your case 24/7. Contact us through our online form for a free consultation.
**This case and others mentioned on the site are only examples of our practice areas; every case result will vary depending on the facts unique to each situation. We have not included all case results on this website; please know that prior results do not guarantee a similar resolution in your case.