South Carolina Auto Accident Attorney

At Joye Law Firm, we know that the time after an accident is very stressful. While you’re recovering from injuries and dealing with transportation issues, you also have to worry about insurance companies, the police and the other people involved in the wreck – not to mention your job and family.

Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers Today

The proven South Carolina personal injury attorneys at Joye Law Firm can help you through the confusion and strain that follow a serious car accident. Respect, compassion and care are what you can expect from our lawyers and staff. Since 1968, we have helped injured people like you not only to recover the money they are entitled to but also to regain their lives.

Let us help you, too. Just Call Joye. You can reach us at 888-594-7738 or fill out an online form for a free case review.

Joye Law Firm has offices in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, but our competent auto accident attorneys are ready to take care of your case anywhere in South Carolina. We’ve successfully represented clients all over the state, including in Florence, Richland County, Orangeburg, Columbia, Horry County (including Conway and North Myrtle Beach), North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville.

The seasoned personal injury attorneys at Joye Law Firm are committed to our clients. With more than 110 years of collective litigation experience, the South Carolina auto accident attorneys at Joye Law Firm have received an AV rating from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell legal directory. Several of our lawyers also have been recognized as South Carolina Super Lawyers.

Our personal injury lawyers have a track record of getting results for our clients, including a $5.9 million settlement for a client who suffered brain injuries in a wreck, a $1.15 million settlement for the family of a man killed in a car accident and a $500,000 verdict for a man whose back was injured in a collision.

Every case is different. Past results are in no way intended to guarantee that a similar result can be obtained in a case. But past results do indicate a firm’s experience when it comes to serious injury and wrongful death cases. For more details about the results obtained for previous Joye Law Firm clients, please click on the Results tab on our home page.

Common Issues With Auto Accidents In South Carolina

With more than 110 years of combined litigation experience, the car crash attorneys at Joye Law Firm have handled enough cases to identify some frequent concerns. We also know that each case is unique — including yours. That’s why it’s important to talk to us directly.

To help answer some questions you might have, we have compiled information on issues that we often deal with, including:

• Drunk driving – South Carolina has one of the worst records when it comes to DUI-related accidents, ranking 49th in a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) study.
• Reckless driving – Accidents rarely just happen. Often, another driver’s carelessness or recklessness triggers a wreck. This can include texting while driving, speeding, disobeying signs or signals, tailgating and “road rage.”
• Partial fault - Many times, one person isn’t totally to blame for a crash. When that happens, South Carolina law allows you to recover a portion of your damages from another at-fault party as long as you were less than 51 percent to blame.
• Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage - When an at-fault driver doesn’t have any insurance, or when what they have is not enough to cover your damages, you can collect benefits from your own UM/UIM policy.
• Distracted driving ­- With more and more technology in cars, from cell phones to DVD players and iPods, distracted driving is becoming a major cause of auto accidents. Although South Carolina lacks a law against texting or talking on the phone while driving, distractions can play a role in determining fault for a wreck.

New Medicare reporting guidelines require attorneys, insurers and plaintiffs to report any personal injury settlement or judgment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in cases where Medicare has made payments or could make future payments for care related to the injury alleged in the claim. Failure to do so could result not only in CMS placing a lien on the award for Medicare reimbursement, but also fines of up to $1,000 per day. More importantly, failure to follow this reporting requirement could void the injured person’s Medicare coverage. Since most people on Medicare are dependent on this coverage, the harsh effect of the coverage being voided is clear.

The new regulations require mandatory consideration of Medicare’s interests when a Medicare beneficiary (or someone likely to be a Medicare beneficiary within 30 months) settles their auto accident case for an amount over certain thresholds. The initial threshold is fairly high (settlements of $100,000 or more), but the thresholds will begin dropping soon ($50,000 as of July 1, 2012; $25,000 as of Oct. 1, 2012; etc.). These reporting guidelines apply even if you don’t hire a lawyer.

So what does this mean for you? If you are covered by Medicare and you are involved in an automobile accident, you are at risk of losing your future Medicare coverage if you do not get proper legal advice. Therefore, it is crucial that you hire a lawyer to help you with your claim, whether you hire Joye Law Firm or someone else.

Your first priority after a wreck is to make sure you and others involved get medical treatment for any injuries. Even if you don’t feel hurt, you should still see your doctor and describe what happened. Sometimes, injuries are not immediately evident.

As soon as possible, you should report the accident to your insurance company. A delayed report could hurt your claim. When talking to the insurance company, you should not give a recorded or written statement about the accident until you have consulted with a qualified South Carolina personal injury attorney.

You should keep track of all receipts and documents related to the accident and your treatment. It is also a good idea to keep a simple journal about your recovery and how your injuries have affected your life. Details could be hard to recall later.

An insurance adjuster might approach you in hopes of settling your claim. Don’t sign any documents without first talking to an experienced South Carolina auto accident attorney like those at Joye Law Firm. You could sign away your rights to the full compensation you deserve.

Just Call Joye! Let the proven Charleston car wreck attorneys at Joye Law Firm handle the insurance adjusters for you. Call us at (888) 324-3100 or fill out an online consultation form.

If you’ve been seriously injured in a South Carolina auto accident, you can trust our dedicated attorneys to get you the money and benefits you are entitled to.

Just Call Joye at 888-594-7738 or fill out our free online case evaluation form.