Category Archives: Personal Injury
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’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 »
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 »
Spinal Cord Injury and South Carolina Car Accidents
Most people take the normal functioning of their spinal cords for granted, but without it, life would be vastly different. If you can walk, click on your phone screen, or use the toilet, you have your spinal cord to thank. Your spinal cord is responsible for the functioning of every internal and external part… Read More »
Clarendon County Pedestrian Dies After Being Struck by Car
In the first two thirds of 2020, 578 people have died in traffic accidents in South Carolina. Ninety of the victims were pedestrians, which means that approximately one out of every six people killed in car accidents was not driving or riding in a car at the time of the crash. The human body… Read More »
New Technology Could Prevent Drunk Driving Accidents by Enabling Cars to Refuse to Let Drunk People Drive Them
Today, all 50 states have laws against drunk driving, which almost every state, including South Carolina, defines as a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 percent. Drunk driving laws are one of the main reasons that traffic fatalities declined sharply in the 1980s and have never gone back to where they were before these… Read More »
Expert Witness Testimony in South Carolina Personal Injury Cases
Somewhere on the Internet today, a website is claiming that your least favorite vegetable cures cancer. Why don’t doctors just tell patients to eat eggplant, cauliflower, or kale instead of referring them for surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, then? It is because the recommended treatments are constantly being reviewed; researchers and practitioners publish case reports… Read More »
Insurance Companies Are Not Your Friend: Beware of Giving Them Too Much Information After a Car Accident
Insurance can be a lifeline. If you are fortunate enough to have employer-provided health insurance, it has probably saved you more money than you realize. Likewise, if your house was damaged in a natural disaster, your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance probably softened the financial blow significantly. If you get injured in a car accident,… Read More »
Freeway Pileup: How To Determine Fault
In 2018, there were over 17,000 multiple-vehicle accidents that led to fatalities. While all car accidents can be severe, those involving multiple car pile-ups tend to cause more catastrophic injuries and death. There is a challenge in determining fault in these large multiple car accidents as the fault can be easily placed on more… Read More »
Accidents Between Motorcyclists and Pedestrians
While the old phrase “the pedestrian has the right of way” is familiar, it is not always the case for legal purposes. All pedestrians and motorcycle riders have a duty and responsibility to behave responsibly on and near the roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that collisions between pedestrians and motorcycle… Read More »
