Being in a car accident is one of the most common ways people sustain serious injuries. Car accident injuries can absolutely devastate your body, your ability to work, your quality of life, and your bank account. Especially when your car accident was someone else’s fault, you deserve to get justice for your injuries.
If you have recently been injured in a car accident in the Summerville area, you need a Summerville car accident lawyer that you can trust. When you need help with a personal injury claim, contact the Summerville personal injury lawyers at Shelly Leeke Law Firm today for a free consultation and case review.
Car Accident Statistics
While by far the most common method of travel, cars are likely the most dangerous method of traveling. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than 5 million car accidents in the last year that data was collected. In that same year, those accidents resulted in more than 2.2 million injuries and 39,000 deaths.
Statistically, this means that per 100 million vehicle trips, there will be about 80 car accidents that result in injury. While this might not seem like a lot, more than 115 million people drive in the United States every single day, meaning that more than 80 car accident injuries will happen per day.
In the State of South Carolina alone, there is a traffic accident more than once every 4 minutes. In South Carolina, 1 out of 19 of the state’s 4 million licensed drivers will be involved in a car accident.
How Do You Prove Negligence in a Car Accident Case
Most of the time, when you sue someone over a car accident, you will need to show that the other driver was negligent. This usually means that you must show that the other driver acted in a way that was less careful than a normally reasonably prudent person would have acted under similar circumstances. Most of the time, this will be accomplished by showing certain things, such as:
Violating traffic laws, such as by:
- Speeding
- Failing to use a turn signal
- Failing to properly yield
- Drunk driving
Other types of careless driving, such as:
- Driving while distracted
- Driving while tired
- Road raging
Suing the Manufacturer
Some other times, you will sue the manufacturers of your or the other driver’s vehicle, such as when:
- Tires burst
- Your or Their brakes fail
- Airbags deploy accidentally
- Vehicle defect
In any of these situations, you likely have a claim to recover your damages. If any of these situations, or any situations like them, happen to you, you should contact a car accident lawyer in Summerville as soon as you possibly can.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Attorney in Summerville?
Most of the time, car accident litigation completely turns on one specific thing: the at-fault party’s insurance company. This is because insurance companies have a legal obligation to defend their insured, which usually means that the at-fault party will be defended by lawyers that are hired by the insurance company. These lawyers are usually highly skilled and experienced and charge insurance companies huge hourly fees.
This is both a good and bad thing. To start with the bad, these lawyers are incredibly skilled and very good at limiting your recovery as much as possible. However, as for the good, the huge hourly rates that the insurance lawyers charge typically mean that the insurance company will be far more likely to want to settle your case.
Where does your lawyer come in? You do not want to face highly skilled insurance defense attorneys alone. If you hire a skilled Summerville car accident attorney, you will have someone on your side that has a lot of experience dealing with them and getting the highest amount of money for their client possible. When you are in a car accident, you need a car accident lawyer in Summerville.
What Types of Damages Can I Recover in Car Accident Lawsuits?
In a car accident lawsuit, there are two different types of damages that you can recover in Court. There are economic damages, which are damages that are meant to compensate you for things that you had to pay for due to the accident, and non-economic damages, which are damages that are awarded by the jury to subjectively reimburse you for your injuries.
Economic Damages
If you are involved in a lawsuit that goes to court, the first type of damages that you can recover are economic damages. Your amount of economic damages will not be difficult to prove in court, because these damages only exist to reimburse you for things that you have paid for.
These damages are reimbursements for things like hospital bills, car repair costs, lost wages, or other similar things. You can prove these damages with things like receipts or invoices.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are damages that may be subjectively awarded by the jury to reimburse you for things that are too uncertain to determine. These damages can be awarded for things like loss of enjoyment of your life, pain and suffering, disfiguration, or loss of consortium.
Your Summerville car accident lawyer will help you make a list of your damages and prove them to the jury.
Contact a Summerville Car Accident Attorney
When you are injured in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, you deserve justice and compensation. While the litigation process can be scary and intimidating to a layperson, there are skilled attorneys that want to help guide you through it.
When you need the assistance of a highly skilled and professional car accident lawyer in Summerville, you should contact Shelly Leeke Law Firm. Shelly Leeke Law Firm’s attorneys pride themselves on helping people just like you through their injuries, recovery, and cases. Contact Shelly Leeke Law Firm today for a free consultation and case review.
