After a car accident, you may be unsure of how to proceed. Car accidents can cause pain, medical bills, and time off work. Our Spartanburg car accident lawyer may be able to help.
Some accidents may be minor, resulting in minimal damage, while others may result in significant damage, leaving you ill-equipped to navigate the process alone. If you have sustained injuries in a car accident, contact one of our experienced Spartanburg personal injury attorneys at Double Aught Injury Lawyers.
Car Accident Stats
The National Safety Council (NSC) records all injuries and deaths from car accidents. In the most recent reporting year, the NSC reported over 13,000,000 accidents nationwide, resulting in nearly 47,000 deaths. This averages about 128 fatalities and about 35,000 accidents per day.
Though far less than the national numbers, South Carolina sees car accidents daily. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) fatality report shows this in its most recent reporting year. From January to December, almost 1,028 fatalities occurred from the 956 fatal accidents reported in South Carolina.
This number does not include all accidents, only the ones that resulted in a fatality. Of these 956 fatalities, 82 of them occurred in Spartanburg County with the following denomination:
- Motorcycle: 9
- Pedestrian: 12
- Cyclist: 1
- Unrestrained: 38
How Can a Car Accident Attorney Help?
After an accident, you may be wondering how a car accident attorney in Spartanburg, SC, can help you. Every case is different, but some general things that our attorney can help with are:
- Investigating the accident causes
- Identifying points of liability
- Understanding of accident law
- Communicating with insurance
- Negotiating on your behalf
- Developing a strong argument for compensation
In addition, an attorney can help you set your expectations for an outcome and help you know what to expect as you move through the process. Knowledge is power, and taking the ambiguity out of the situation can give you more space to rest and recover.
Supporting your Spartanburg Car Accident Case
The premise of any personal injury claim is to prove that the other party was negligent and caused your injuries. The first step in proving negligence is to prove that the other party had a duty to you and failed in that duty. In a car accident, it is typically the duty to follow traffic laws and make decisions to keep other motorists safe. A Double Aught Injury Lawyer may request information from you to support the argument. This information may include documents such as:
- Medical Records: Medical records can serve as documentation of your injuries. They may include referrals to specialists or general recovery time estimates from your treating physician or mental health professional.
- Police Reports: A Spartanburg police report can be obtained online and will provide details of the accident from the officer who arrived on the scene.
- Photos: Photographs of the scene may help show evidence of damage, car positioning, and even the severity of injuries.
- Receipts: An attorney may request any receipts for expenses incurred from the accident, including medical bills.
- Contact Information: Contact information for the other parties involved in the accident is crucial. If you did not obtain the information on the scene, you can frequently get it from the police report.
Some things that can help in addition to having these documents available include keeping a journal of your progress, taking ongoing photos of your injuries as they heal, and ensuring that you do not deny medical treatment on the scene. If EMS does not arrive, you should seek medical evaluation immediately. These steps build a paper trail to thoroughly document the situation and your injuries.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do to protect your case is call us at Double Aught Injury Lawyers immediately after the accident. The South Carolina statute of limitations for a personal injury claim is three years. The sooner our attorney can speak with you and get investigations and negotiations started, the sooner they can file a lawsuit in court if it comes to that. Every day is essential in an auto accident case.
Things to Avoid in your Spartanburg Car Accident Case
While there are many steps you can take to document and strengthen your case, there may be more ways to weaken it. Some of these things may seem like common sense, and some may be surprising. Remember, the insurance company is there to protect their own assets, just like your attorney is there to protect yours.
Our experienced Spartanburg auto accident attorney may ask you to avoid posting on social media. Anything posted on the internet can be open to interpretation, and insurance companies are doing their own investigations to find any weakness in your case, whether it be to claim that your injuries are not as bad as you claim they are or that they are falsified altogether. Another generally ill-advised move is to speak too much with the insurance company or sign any documentation without speaking with your lawyer. Once you secure representation, the insurance company should only contact them regarding settlement offers or negotiations. An experienced attorney knows how to maneuver these conversations without giving the insurance company ammunition against you.
Types of Car Accidents
Car accidents can happen in different places in different ways. However, there are some common types when looking at personal vehicles compared to something like a tractor trailer accident.
Rear End Collison
A rear-end collision occurs when one person fails to stop in time and hits the back bumper of the car in front of them. Most frequently, this results from following too closely or being cut off suddenly. In the most recent reporting year, the National Safety Council reports 3,600 fatalities resulting from a rear-ending collision.
Head on Collision
Head-on collisions can be incredibly dangerous. The NSC shows that there were 5,900 fatalities from a head-on crash in the most recent reporting year, which accounts for nearly 30% of deaths. This type of accident is defined as a collision when the cars are facing each other and collide front bumper to front bumper. As you can imagine, this is frequently a result of lane departure.
Sideswipe Accident
A sideswipe accident frequently occurs when merging or changing lanes. We can define this type of collision as an encounter with another vehicle where the car hits another car side by side. The NSC reports this having a relatively low fatality rate of 1,600 fatalities nationally.
Angle Crashes or T-Bone
This type of crash occurs when a car hits another at a perpendicular angle. This type of collision may commonly happen when a car is turning. This type of accident yields the highest number of fatalities at 9,000, according to the NSC data.
Causes of a Spartanburg Car Accident
The causes of a Spartanburg car accident can vary. Unfortunately, many of them are preventable. The National Safety Council reports that about 93% of all accidents result from the driver.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a significant concern regarding road safety, so much so that most states have laws surrounding the issue. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety explains a little bit about the distracted driving law in South Carolina. Scrolling social media or even sending a quick text message can have fatal consequences while on the road.
Speeding
Speeding is a common violation. While it is an everyday occurrence, the NSC reports that about 20% of fatal accidents on dry roads include speeding. The rates of fatal accidents only go up when there are other factors. The total national death toll for speeding-related accidents in the most recent reporting year is 12,330.
Failing to Follow Traffic Laws
This behavior can result in several instances. These may include:
- Failure to yield
- Improper turn
- Failure to follow traffic signals
- Road rage or erratic driving
- Improper passing or lane change
Traffic laws make driving predictable. They allow us to be sure of who is doing what and when so that everyone knows what to expect on the road. When drivers fail to follow them, they become unpredictable and make it hard for others to stay out of their way or avoid an accident.
Common Spartanburg Car Accident Injuries
Car accident injuries can vary from minor scrapes and bruises to long-term hospitalizations and years of complications or recovery time.
Whiplash
Whiplash occurs frequently in head-on or rear-ending collisions or any time you come to a very sudden stop. Some common symptoms of whiplash are:
- Neck stiffness
- Neck pain that gets worse with movement
- Dizziness
- Headaches at the base of the skull
- Decreased range of motion
- Tingling or numbness in shoulders, arms, or upper back
This list is not exhaustive, and diagnoses should be made by a medical provider. Physical examinations are typically sufficient, but your doctor may want to perform imaging to rule out other injuries.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries are common in car accidents. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, these can include injuries such as:
- Bruises or contusions
- Sprains
- Strains
- Tendonitis
Soft tissue injuries can be challenging to diagnose immediately after an accident because it may take time for inflammation to cause pain or discomfort.
Broken Bones
Broken bones are a common injury in a car accident. The severity of a break can vary. A fracture or small break may just require a few weeks of casting before fully healing. A more complex break may require surgical interventions like pins or plates to join back together. Sometimes, this can mean months of recovery time, rehabilitative services, or additional surgeries.
Head and Spinal Injuries
Head and spinal injuries are a major concern after a car accident. Though a minor concussion may only take a couple of weeks to heal from, more severe brain injuries may mean rehabilitative therapies for months or years, costing time, money, and other valuable resources. Similarly, a spinal injury can mean paralysis and the inability to function without the aid of medical devices for the rest of your life.
Damages in a Spartanburg Car Accident Case
Damages claimed in a car accident case depend upon the specific case. Some of the common damages our car accident attorney in Spartanburg may suggest are:
- Medical Bills
- Property Damage
- Pain and Suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Wrongful death
Depending on the needs of your case, there may be other appropriate damages, but your attorney can assist you with determining that. We can look at the larger categories to give a bigger picture of what may be considered damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are easily appraised and come with specific price tags, like medical bills or the cost of replacing your car. Sometimes, this may also include the cost of support services if you are unable to perform daily tasks like laundry or cleaning and need to outsource due to your injuries.
These damages may also include missed wages due to having to take paid or unpaid time off of work. Even if you have PTO saved, you should not have to use it because of someone else’s negligence.
Non-economic Damages
These are more difficult to determine monetarily. They can include compensation for things like the previously mentioned pain and suffering, loss of consortium or companionship, or even wrongful death. Non-economic damages relate more to quality-of-life losses than financial losses, making them harder to prove. Sometimes, testimony from friends and family, journal records, or letters from a mental health provider may help.
Call Double Aught Injury Lawyers Today
If you have lost a loved one or sustained an injury in a car accident, you shouldn’t delay in reaching out for a free consultation with Double Aught Injury Lawyers. When you call, we can discuss the details of your situation and determine your compensation options.
A car accident can be a traumatic experience, and recovery is sometimes far more than just physical. Having an auto accident lawyer familiar with the Spartanburg court system and the procedure for car accident negotiations can take that stress off your plate. You can focus on yourself to recover while we take the lead on the rest.