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    When loading up the family car, most people are thinking about when they’ll arrive at their destination, not “if.” Sadly, motor vehicle deaths remain a hard fact of life on U.S. roads and a leading cause of death across the country. According to 2023 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 40,990 lives were lost in motor vehicle crashes. These grim statistics are often tied to impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding, and low seat belt use. Despite a slight decline in the death rate per vehicle miles traveled, the overall number of deaths remains too high. That means serious injuries and fatalities occur daily, leaving families devastated and communities impacted.

    If your family is dealing with the shock and pain of a fatal auto accident, you’ve come to the right place. Joye Law Firm Injury Lawyers understand the devastating effects fatal wreck have. Our team is dedicated to helping survivors pursue justice, access essential resources, and address the challenges they may face after losing a loved one in a motor vehicle crash. With a deep understanding of South Carolina tort law and an award-winning team, we strive to deliver tangible results. Since 1968, we’ve secured over half a billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for injured South Carolinians. Contact Joye Law Firm Injury Lawyers today to see what we can do for you.

    Trust Our Legal Team at Joye Law Firm After a Fatal Crash

    When a motor vehicle crash takes a life, families face more than grief. They must sort out insurance forms, police reports, crash-related bills, funeral costs, and, for some families, the loss of the breadwinner’s income, leaving ones left wondering how to pay tomorrow’s rent. Let us be your lifeline. Our car accident lawyers at Joye Law Firm help shoulder the load, so you can focus on. From our offices in Charleston, North Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Clinton, Greenville, and Summerville, we handle cases across South Carolina and beyond.

    Our practice areas for motor vehicle cases:Scenes from Joye Law Firm's Columbia office in May of 2024.

    • Car and passenger-car accidents
    • Commercial truck and 18-wheeler collisions
    • Motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian injuries
    • Rideshare and delivery-vehicle crashes
    • Defective road design and inadequate safety measures
    • Dram-shop claims against bars that overserve drunk drivers
    • Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims
    • Workplace crashes involving company vehicles

    Our No Fee Guarantee means families pay nothing upfront. You’ll only owe us a fee if we win compensation for you. Call or use our website to schedule a free consultation today.

    Case Results of Our Clients

    Crash Type Outcome How We Helped
    Fatal Collision Involving Unlicensed Driver Claims Lives of Two Teenagers Confidential amount along with a promise of new hiring and interview procedures for all employees of the at-fault driver’s company Attorney Mark Joye brought justice to the families of two teenagers who lost their lives when an unlicensed driver ran a stop sign.
    North Charleston red-light crash with tow truck Full policy limits for a 26-year-old head-on collision victim Attorney John Aylor proved reckless conduct using dash-cam video.
    Myrtle Beach high-speed rear-end crash $450,000 settlement despite pre-existing spine issues Attorney Tommy Terrell advocated for updated MRI scans that linked new pain to the wreck.
    Goose Creek drunk-driver T-bone $1.18 million for a mother of three Negotiations by Attorney Brent Arant forced GEICO to pay every dollar of coverage.
    Hanahan head-on with a heavy-equipment truck Multi-million-dollar package of cash plus lifetime medical benefits Our team secured funding for traumatic brain injury care.
    Settlement for Marine Killed in a Sumter Car Crash Caused by an 18-Wheeler Confidential Settlement for the family of a Marine Attorney Mark Joye took 48 depositions to discover the truth and took the case to court.

    *These examples show what is possible, not a guarantee of future results.

    How Is Fault Determined in Fatal Car Accidents?

    1. Crash-scene evidence – skid marks, data from event-data recorders, and debris patterns tell investigators how vehicles moved.
    2. Police reports and BAC tests – officers record blood alcohol concentration, seatbelt use, vehicle positions and cross streets, and indicators of distracted driving.
    3. Federal and state rules – determine if trucking companies disregarded hours-of-service and load-securement rules governed by the Department of Transportation.
    4. Expert analysis – accident reconstruction engineers use tools such as 3D laser scans and vehicle mileage data to create a clear timeline.
    5. Comparative negligence – South Carolina’s modified system allows victims to recover compensation as long as they are less than 51 percent at fault.

    Our lawyers investigate every aspect of the crash and will gather dash-cam videos, phone records, vehicle control module files, and anything else that establishes the actual events that occurred.

    Fatal Car Crash Statistics

    Nationwide trends

    • Reuters reports that motor vehicle deaths fell 8 percent in 2024 to 39,345, the lowest number since 2020. The fatality rate dropped to 1.20 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), according to NHTSA.
    • NHTSA early estimates indicate a rate of 1.17 in the first half of 2024, down from 1.21 in the prior year.
    • The Federal Highway Administration projects that VMT will grow by only 0.5 percent per year through 2050, making today’s decline in the death rate particularly meaningful.

    South Carolina snapshot

    Risk factors

    What Evidence Will Strengthen My Claim?

    Below is a checklist of the most persuasive kinds of proof lawyers and insurers look for in a wrongful death or survival-action for an auto-accident case. Our lawyers act fast to gather and preserve this material before it disappears by sending formal “preservation” or “spoliation” letters.

    1. Official accident documentation

    Item Why it matters Practical tips
    Police crash report & scene diagrams Forms the backbone of liability analysis; records statements, citations, and officer’s initial fault assessment. Request the full, un-redacted report and any supplemental diagrams or photos.
    Medical examiner/coroner’s report, autopsy & toxicology Establishes cause of death, timing, and any alcohol/drug results (for all drivers). Obtain certified copies; these withstand Daubert/Frye challenges.
    Certified death certificate Required to open an estate and prove death in court. Obtain several originals, insurers often insist on one for their files.

    2. Scene-based physical evidence

    • High-resolution photos and video – Wide-angle and close-up shots of skid marks, vehicle rest positions, gouges, debris, weather, lighting, and road signage.
    • Event-data-recorder (“black box”) downloads – Most 2013-present vehicles record speed, throttle, braking, seat-belt use, and delta-V in the five seconds before impact.
    • Dash-cam, traffic-cam, or surveillance footage – Video evidence from nearby businesses, DOT agencies, and witnesses. It is important to act within days since most overwrite after 7-30 days.
    • Road-condition evidence – Includes construction logs, prior complaints, maintenance records, traffic-signal timing charts, and weather data (National Weather Service, METAR). These can partially shift liability to a municipality or contractor.
    • Proof of Drunk Driving – Physical evidence of drug or alcohol uncovered at the scene, or any evidence uncovered during an investigation into the at-fault driver’s actions before the crash.

    3. Human testimony

    • Eyewitness statements – Recording or transcriptions from anyone who saw the wreck. It is important to get them while memories are still fresh.
    • First responders – EMT/fire-rescue run sheets often note utterances like “I was texting,” which can be admissible as excited utterances or party admissions.
    • Expert reconstructionists – These professionals leverage science to map crush profiles, time-distance analyses, and visibility studies. A well-illustrated 3-D animation often sways juries.

    4. Digital & electronic records

    Source Potential revelations
    Cell-phone carrier logs & phone forensics Calls/texts/app usage in the moments before impact (distracted driving).
    Vehicle infotainment downloads Navigation routes, last paired phones, speed alerts.
    Ride-share / delivery app data Driver’s status (on-trip, waiting, off-duty) can bring corporate defendants into the case.
    Social-media posts & stories Admissions (“I shouldn’t have had that last drink”), location stamps, or evidence of the defendant’s impairment.

    South Carolina Fatal Car Crash FAQs

    Fatal Car Crash

    Can I File a Wrongful Death Claim?

    Yes, South Carolina law lets the estate’s personal representative bring a wrongful-death action on behalf of:

    • Surviving spouse and children
    • Parents of the deceased if they did not have any surviving spouse or children
    • Heirs at law, if the deceased does not have any surviving spouse, children, or parents

    The suit may demand damages for funeral costs, lost income, lost companionship, and pain the decedent suffered before death.

    What Compensation Can Be Recovered in Fatal-Accident Cases?

    Families can pursue:

    • Economic losses – medical bills, lost wages, loss of retirement benefits
    • Non-economic losses – grief, mental anguish, loss of care and guidance
    • Punitive damages – available in some cases to punish flagrant misconduct such as drunk or drug-impaired driving
    • Survival claim damages – the victim’s conscious pain and suffering before passing

    South Carolina caps punitive awards at three times compensatory damages or $500,000 unless the driver acted under the influence or intended harm.

    Do I Need a Lawyer for a Fatal Car-Accident Case?

    Insurers know fatal crashes expose them to seven-figure payouts. They often act fast to:

    • Rush survivors into low settlements
    • Blame the deceased without a full investigation
    • Dispute medical causation for serious injuries

    Our award-winning attorneys are well-versed in crash-data downloads, NHTSA regulations, and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules. Early legal help preserves evidence, calculates the true death rate impact on a household, and fights for the fullest recovery allowed.

    Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Experienced Car Accident Lawyers

    Fatal crashes steal futures and rewrite family plans in an instant. Joye Law Firm’s car accident lawyers have the experience, resources, and compassion to hold negligent drivers and their insurance companies accountable.

    Call us at (888) 324-3100 or fill out our online form now to set up a free consultation We will explain your rights, outline the next steps, and start the fight to protect your family’s future.

    Contact Us
    Attorneys at Joye Law Firm's Myrtle Beach office