South Carolina Auto Accident Lawyers

The screeching tires, the shattered glass, the sudden jolt of the seat belt against your flesh. An auto accident feels like slow-motion chaos. Once the proverbial dust begins to settle, the actions you take in the following moments are critical to ensuring you have the tools and resources you need to make as full a recovery as possible.

First of all, check yourself. Are you bleeding? Does your head hurt? Are all of your limbs and digits functioning? Is the scene safe? If you seem to be largely okay, look around you. Are there any injured passengers? Once you’ve accounted for yourself and others, it’s time to get in touch with the police (they may already be on the scene or on their way), exchange information, identify witnesses, and start planning to protect your interests (Read “Steps To Take After An Accident” for more detailed information on these steps).

As you leave the scene, your next step MUST be the hospital or other medical facility. Even if you feel fine, you need to have some basic checks performed to rule out silent killers like internal bleeding. It also creates a record of your treatment that can be invaluable in the event it becomes necessary to pursue a personal injury claim. Some injuries take hours, days, and even weeks to fully manifest. Feeling fine while still riding high on post-crash adrenaline doesn’t mean you’ll feel fine in a couple of hours.

If you have a serious injury on your hands, the next step is seeking the advice of an experienced South Carolina auto accident lawyer who can guide your personal injury claim through the legal process to get you the financial compensation you deserve.

At Drennan Law Firm, our car accident lawyers are skilled at maximizing financial compensation for the victims of motor vehicle accidents. This includes obtaining compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering, lost earnings and more. We aren’t afraid to take cases to trial and the insurance companies know it. This leads to better settlement offers as they know we won’t take the bait of a low ball offer just to make the case go away.

The first step in the process is to get our experienced team working for you. Then, we will begin gathering evidence and putting together a strong case for trial. Preparing to take things the distance is also the best way to obtain a fair settlement offer that provides the compensation a auto accident victim needs to be made whole again. If a settlement is not in your best interest, we are prepared to go to trial with a strong case designed to achieve a successful jury verdict in your favor.

Seeking the advice of an car accident attorney should be the first step in your settlement process. A personal injury lawyer will be able to sort through the accident and medical reports as well as determine useful witness information. They know your rights and can represent your voice in the legal world. Do not listen to what the insurance company try to tell you. We can help you with seeking compensation for things like medical bills as well as pain and suffering. Our attorneys handle all kind of accidents and injuries. Whether you were in a head-on-collision, were injured while riding a motorcycle, or were involved in a collision with a semi truck, we can help.

As we covered before, we cannot stress enough how important it is to follow the proper steps after an accident has occurred. If you have an experienced a car or motorcycle accident, it is important to follow a few proper measures to ensure that you have all the information you need to report a claim.

• Contact the police immediately following the collision and request medical personnel for injuries
• Give your information to the police officer including your driver’s license, insurance, and registration
• Ask for the police report number the incident will be filed under
• Record the other driver’s license and plate information
• Get contact information from any witnesses at the scene

The exception is if you have suffered a serious injury. In that case, the first step is always to get the medical treatment you need. However, if you are conscious and appear to have gotten by with only a few scrapes you can follow the steps above before getting checked out at a local hospital. That’s important to do even if you think you are unscathed; it can take days or weeks for some symptoms to present themselves and it’s crucial to make sure you are not suffering from internal bleeding.

If you have been seriously injured, your next step should be to contact an SC automobile accident attorney to discuss the merits of your case. While seeking out an attorney may not be the first thing on your mind, it is essential if you have an injury that could result in costly medical bills or even disability. There are filing deadlines that limit the length of time you can file a personal injury claim, so time is of the essence. The reality is that your insurance company and other parties involved in the accident will probably begin seeking counsel immediately as well in the event of a severe accident.

Almost all of us have done it: Behind the wheel, traffic all around, but it’s sometimes impossible to resist the temptation to check that text or email. Often the temptation is due to important information or even checking the map to know where we’re going. But even if the reasons are good, it’s always dangerous.

Too many people have been hurt or killed due to smartphone use and other forms of distracted driving. At Drennan Law Firm, our auto accident lawyers serve clients throughout South Carolina who have been harmed in auto accidents of all kinds, especially distracted driver accidents. We also serve out-of-state clients throughout the nation who were hurt in accidents in South Carolina while visiting the state. Our Charleston car accident attorneys fight aggressively to help our clients get the financial compensation they deserve.

A Serious Problem

In a recent year, more than 1,000 people died in South Carolina due to auto accidents, and the state boasts the third worst drivers in the entire nation. But the problem is not limited to South Carolina. In fact, accidents involving fatalities were up 7 percent.

Experts seem to agree that the state and national increase in accidents can be directly attributed to the increase in smartphone use while driving.

Time matters

When a vehicle is moving at 55 miles per hour, it can travel the length of a football field in only five seconds. This is a considerable distance in which an accident can occur. In fact, the odds of being in a crash double if a driver is distracted for more than two seconds. This is harrowing because it takes longer than two seconds to do many of the tasks that drivers do on a regular basis.

Many Things are Distracting

Distractions come in many forms. No driver should ever think that a cellphone is the only distraction they will face. Eating, drinking, checking the radio station, looking at billboards, talking to others in the vehicle and taking care of personal grooming are all things that might impact a driver’s abilities. When a person is driving, that duty must be the only thing that they are focused on.

Forms of Distractions

There are three main forms of distractions that can impact drivers.

• Manual: distractions that require you to take your hands off the steering wheel
• Cognitive: distractions that impact the mind
• Visual: distractions that take your eyes away from the road

While these can affect anyone, younger drivers are at an increased risk. This is due to being inexperienced behind the wheel. They may also tend to focus more on their cellphones when they are driving.

When an Accident Occurs

When a distracted driver causes a crash, the priority must be getting the medical care you need and collecting the other driver’s information. Contacting emergency services can get the police and ambulance to your location. Once you have the care you need, you can look into the root cause of the accident. This gives you information that you might need to help you to determine whether you are going to seek compensation. If you opt to file a personal injury claim, be sure to do so quickly since there are time limits.

Combating Distracted Driving

Fighting against this matter is being done on a federal level, as well as a state level. Laws against distractions are in place. But, the responsibility can’t stop there. Parents need to make it clear to their teenage drivers that distractions aren’t allowed while driving. Limit the number of occupants in the vehicle and require them to avoid using the phone.

Uncovering Distracted Driving

In many cases, our South Carolina auto accident lawyers can track cellphone records to the time of the accident to determine whether the other driver was indeed working with a phone while driving.

If you have been injured – or if someone you love has been killed – as a result of another driver texting or checking email when their attention should have been on the road, you need help. Although there are new laws and regulations coming out throughout the country to limit and stop cellphone use while driving, these will not help you if you have been victimized by this dangerous behavior.

The only thing you can do is fight back. Make sure you’re not the one who has to absorb the financial burden of medical bills, lost wages and other damages you have sustained. At Drennan Law Firm, our South Carolina auto accident lawyers will use our knowledge and experience to help you get compensation for all of your losses for the rest of your life.

Call us right away at 843-352-4149 or email the firm today to schedule your consultation with an experienced attorney.

It doesn’t matter if you enjoy driving on the interstate in South Carolina or attempt to avoid it at all costs, it’s a must to follow a variety of safety tips to help prevent a car accident.

With a high volume of vehicles moving at a high rate of speed, driving on the interstate is easier said than done. Here are five tips you can follow to enhance your safety:

• Obey the speed limit: It’s easy to speed on the interstate, especially if the flow of traffic is moving faster than the speed limit. Rather than attempt to keep up, move into the right lane and obey the rules of the road.
• Leave more space: A safe following distance is a must, as it helps keep both you and other drivers safe. If you follow too closely, you may not have enough space to stop in the event of an emergency.
• Make yourself visible around large vehicles: For example, commercial trucks are all over the state’s interstates. Do your best to remain visible at all times, such as by avoiding blind spots and using your turn signal when changing lanes.
• Don’t switch lanes too often: It’s okay to switch lanes when necessary, but don’t make this a habit. As a general rule of thumb, use the right lane for travel and the left lane for passing.
• Avoid distractions: You can’t control other drivers, but you can avoid distractions in your own vehicle. Keep your cellphone out of reach, don’t engage in too much conversation with your passengers and avoid eating or drinking.

These are the types of steps you can take to avoid common distractions that have been proven to increase the risk of an accident. These safety tips will give you peace of mind, but you could still be injured in a motor vehicle accident. Other drivers may not take as much caution as you, which puts everyone on the road at risk.

If you’re injured an interstate accident, move to the shoulder of the road and call 911. After you receive a diagnosis and understand your injuries, you can contact your insurance company and learn more about your legal rights. You should fight to protect your legal rights and receive the compensation you deserve.

When you have to travel, it can be hard. Highways can become congested, and there is the possibility of crashes. Stop-and-go traffic is more likely to cause crashes, since people are traveling slowly and may be stopped for periods of time. When they start moving again, they might move too quickly and end up in a rear-end collision as the vehicles ahead of them are forced to stop.

As someone who would rather avoid any kind of collision, it’s a good idea to learn more about what you can do to avoid them. Here are three helpful tips that can keep you safer when you’re traveling on highways or interstates.

1. Prepare ahead of time for stop-and-go traffic Becoming antsy is one of the major issues that drivers face when traffic is backed up and slowed down. Prepare for traffic jams ahead of time, so you’re not distracted when you should be paying attention to the road. It’s a good idea to make sure your gas tank is full, that you have music you like to listen to and that you have snacks or drinks for passengers. That way, you won’t feel rushed or have the need to cross multiple lanes of traffic to try to get off the highway during a slowdown.
2. Check the traffic ahead of time When you plan to go out on a highway or interstate, do what you can to check for traffic slowdowns. Many GPS systems and traffic alerts will let you know if there are crashes or delays on highways, so you can plan for alternative routes. Doing this can keep you out of slowed traffic, so there is a lower chance of getting into a crash.
3. Give yourself plenty of time to travel Never get into your vehicle to drive when you’re rushed to get somewhere. Feeling rushed can lead to speeding and other reckless acts, all of which can lead to a car accident. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go. It’s better to arrive early than to end up in traffic and worry about being late.

These are three helpful tips that will guarantee that you’re better prepared for slowed or stopped traffic. If you prepare ahead of time, you’ll be better able to handle the changes in traffic conditions and be more focused on what’s ahead of your vehicle. That simple tactic can prevent car accidents on the highway.