Recent Blog Posts
Do Smoking Bans Cause an Increase in Drunk Driving?
South Carolina is one of the last remaining havens for smokers, of cigarettes, that is. More than two thirds of states have statewide bans on tobacco smoking in bars, restaurants, and other public places, but South Carolina does not. South Carolina’s Clean Air Act of 1990 prohibits smoking in restaurants except in designated smoking… Read More »
Beware of Dangerous Car Mods
Remember when the comedian Kevin Hart got injured in a car accident last fall, but then a passenger who was in the car announced plans to sue Hart? The reason for Hart’s possible liability in the accident was that his car did not conform to current safety standards. Hart had modified (or perhaps failed… Read More »
Greenville Man Faces Charges for DUI Vehicular Homicide and Hit and Run After Crashing into Pedestrians at Traffic Stop
The risk of getting hit by a drunk or drugged driver exists any time you get into a car, or indeed any time you set foot outside your house. South Carolina has an alarmingly high rate of car accidents involving driving under the influence, consistently ranking in the top ten, above much more populous… Read More »
Lidar Made Austin Russell a Billionaire, but Can It Prevent Car Accidents?
Perhaps you have heard the news that Austin Russell has just become a billionaire at age 25 after selling his laser technology startup. Russell has spent his whole life studying lasers; instead of attending high school or college, he went straight from middle school to graduate study of laser technology, and he has gotten… Read More »
Do Dram Shop Laws Apply When a Sober Driver Hits a Drunk Pedestrian?
South Carolina’s dram shop liability laws make it possible to sue an establishment that serves alcohol for damages when a person who drank alcohol at that establishment gets injured in an accident or causes an accident that injures someone else. For example, suppose that Alex gets drunk at Bill’s Bar and Grill and then… Read More »
South Carolina Man Undergoes Five Surgeries After Hit and Run Moped Accident
Opossums are gross. Cats give you the creeps, as you are a dog person. Deer are a nuisance in your yard and on the road. Despite your personal feelings about them, you would swerve or brake to avoid hitting any of these creatures if they crossed your path while you were driving, even if… Read More »
Police Investigate Columbia Hit and Run Crash That Killed Child Pedestrian
According to South Carolina law, it is a crime to leave the scene of an accident without presenting your identifying information to the driver of the other vehicle and, if necessary, making sure that everyone injured in the accident gets medical assistance. Why would someone Even if there are no injuries, a driver who… Read More »
South Carolina’s DUI Laws Are Full of Loopholes, but You Can Still Collect Damages in a Civil Lawsuit After a DUI Accident
In criminal court, the jury must decide that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before the judge can hand down a sentence. In civil court, no one can go to jail or prison for losing a case, there is usually no jury, the standard of evidence is lower, and winning or losing… Read More »
Teen Injured in February Crash Files Lawsuit Against Drunk Driver
2020 has shown the ugly and hateful sides of human nature like no other year in recent memory, but if you are looking for hope about people’s generosity and willingness to help others, a look at the results of crowdfunding campaigns can renew your optimism. Friends and strangers alike contribute what they can to… Read More »
Not Every Drunk Driving Accident Is a Case of Dram Shop Liability
The passage of drunk driving laws in the 1980s greatly reduced the number of traffic fatalities, but the risk of getting hit in a DUI collision still remains. Even today, alcohol is a factor in a disproportionate number of car accidents that involve serious injuries or fatalities. If you get injured by a drunk… Read More »
