Dealing With Personal Injuries in South Carolina

It’s a very common scenario: Almost immediately after an accident, the insurance company agent will show up at your hospital room or your home, or call you. He or she will make you a cash settlement offer that will seem very generous at the time. Yet somehow it doesn’t seem entirely right, like maybe there’s something you’re missing. Maybe this offer is not as great as it seems.

At Drennan Law Firm in Mount Pleasant and Charleston, South Carolina, we understand how the insurance company offers work in auto accident situations. Our lawyers can help you determine the true value of your injury claim and help you obtain the full compensation you deserve.

Will Insurance Cover The Expenses?

In short: No.

Looking at your own policy, unless it is an amazing policy, any claim you file with your insurance company will not cover the full extent of the costs you will incur after an accident.

In terms of the settlement offer, either from your carrier or the insurance carrier of the at-fault driver, it will seem very generous at first and it will seem the perfect solution to the serious financial dilemma you’re facing. But it will almost certainly not cover the extent of your expenses for the rest of your life. At most, it will cover the bare minimum of your immediate expenses.

The initial insurance company offer is built on fear. Unless you are independently wealthy, you will be sitting in the hospital after a serious accident feeling extraordinary anxiety. How will you pay for your medical fees, especially if you’re missing time from work? Then the insurance agent comes in and makes this offer.

But if you take the offer from the insurance company, you will lose your right to bring a lawsuit. You will not be able to obtain compensation for the long-term medical expenses, adaptive technology, pain medications and pain and suffering you have endured.

Call An Attorney Before Talking With The Insurance Agent

We can help you determine whether the insurance company’s offer is in your best interest, or if you could obtain more by filing a legal claim. Call us today at 843-352-4149 or email us to learn more.

One of the most common mistakes people make after an accident is to avoid filing a claim because their injuries are “insignificant” or “not serious enough”.

This is a mistake that could cost you thousands, if not millions of dollars.

Talk with an attorney from Drennan Law Firm. We have a wealth of experience serving clients in the Mount Pleasant and Charleston areas of South Carolina in all types of injury claims. We know how to determine whether you have a valid claim, and we know how to file a lawsuit that can win.

My Injuries Seem Insignificant. Why Should I Call A Lawyer?

• Your injuries might be more significant than you think. In many cases, accident victims assume their injuries are insignificant, only to find out later that there were dormant injuries that impact them the rest of their lives. The only problem is that they often don’t realize this until the statute of limitations has passed. You might have injuries much worse than you think.
• You don’t want to miss the opportunity for compensation. If you never call an attorney, you won’t know whether or not you have a valid claim. At Drennan Law Firm, we take injury claims on contingency, so you won’t have to pay anything unless we win your case. There is literally no risk to call us. And if you don’t call us, you’ll never know how much money you could have received.
• Even small claims have value. At Drennan Law Firm, our attorneys are willing to take all cases, from the most catastrophic and fatal, to relatively less significant cases involving whiplash and other related injuries.

Contact Drennan Law Firm: We Will Fight For You

Whether you have suffered relatively slight injuries or major, catastrophic injuries, our legal team will fight for you. We can help you determine the value of your case and help you get the compensation you need.

Call us at 843-352-4149 or email us to get your case started.

There are many reasons why people don’t file lawsuits. Sometimes auto accident victims think they can handle their own claim. Others might think their injuries aren’t serious enough to bring a claim. However, the worst reason for not bringing a claim is missing the opportunity.

There is a limit to the time you can wait before filing a personal injury or auto accident claim. If you do not file the claim in time, you will lose your right to compensation.

At Drennan Law Firm, we understand the law and the processes involved in getting compensation for our clients. We handle a range of auto accident claims and other personal injury claims for clients in Mount Pleasant, Charleston and the surrounding areas of South Carolina.

What Is The Time Limit For Filing A Claim In South Carolina?

In South Carolina, you have to file a personal injury claim within three years of the time your injuries occurred. ¹

Reasons For Urgency

Although three years seems like a long time, there are a few important reasons to get your claim started right away:

• Three years is less time than you might think: You would be surprised how fast three years can go. Especially after a serious accident, you will be working toward recovering and finding ways to cover your medical expenses. Then, assuming you have recovered enough to return to work, you will be catching up with your life and as you get busy with life’s demands, it’s easy to let your time window come and go before you know it.
• A lot happens in the early stages after an accident: One of the most pressing issues after an accident is your medical care. You will need to cover the costs of the medical care you receive. The insurance company agent will be calling you very shortly after your accident, and will most likely make a settlement offer. You will need good counsel to decide whether this is a good offer.
• Early intervention is essential for building your case: Evidence at the accident scene and eyewitness testimony will be less valuable over time. It is critical to get started on your case as soon as possible, before the evidence disappears and witness forgets what happened or become unavailable.

Even though three years seems like a long time, talk with a lawyer right away. There is a lot of value in getting your case started early.

After an auto accident or other serious injury situation, you might feel that the legal process is confusing and scary.

Don’t worry. The apprehension many people feel about the legal process is simply a result of not being through it before. At Drennan Law Firm, we have a thorough knowledge of the personal injury litigation process. Our attorneys can help you understand what to expect and we will talk you through every step of your case.

We serve clients in Mount Pleasant, Charleston and the surrounding area of South Carolina. We handle auto accidents and a range of other personal injury matters.

In general, the legal process of bringing a claim looks like this:

• Initial recovery: After a serious accident, the most important thing you can do is focus on your recovery. However, if you don’t contact an attorney as soon as possible, you could lose out on your opportunity to obtain maximum compensation.
• Information gathering: After you hire us, we will immediately get to work on gathering evidence, witness testimony and other important information to start building your case.
• Case preparation: Based on the information gathered, we will create a plan for your case, including negotiation and trial strategies. One of the most important things we can do during this time is to obtain estimates for how much your medical expenses will cost you over your lifetime. This helps us get you the best compensation award possible, regardless of the severity of your injuries.
• Filing a claim: If you have a good claim, we will file it with the court to get the process started. Filing a claim puts time limits on the various negotiations and other things that need to happen. It is important that we file a claim ASAP so we don’t lose the chance to file.
• Discovery: This is the process by which both parties’ lawyers exchange information about their cases. Often, cases are settled before the case gets too far into discovery.
• Settlement negotiating: Whenever possible, we try to settle cases to avoid the cost and time commitment of trial. However, we only accept settlement offers if we know we can’t do better at trial.
• Trial: The trial is the part that looks like what we see on TV. We argue our cases in the courtroom and fight for your compensation.

The majority of cases never make it to trial. When we have prepared a strong case, the defendants and insurance carriers want to avoid losing in the trial, so they usually start making acceptable offers once they see we’ve prepared a solid case.