wrongful death

Losing a close relative to an untimely death is never easy for those left behind. The grieving process is even more difficult when your loved one’s death was caused by someone else’s reckless or careless acts.

Survivors are frequently left to pay medical expenses and funeral costs, not to mention enduring the loss of financial and emotional support they received from their now deceased relative. Fortunately, South Carolina law allows surviving family members to bring a wrongful death claim against the at-fault party to help ease the financial burden. Even though no lawsuit can restore your loss, a wrongful death action can help the family reach closure and secure the money they need to get on with their lives.

Contact Our Wrongful Death Lawyers Today

If a close relative has been killed due to someone else’s negligent or intentional act, our South Carolina wrongful death attorneys at Joye Law Firm can help. Respect, compassion and care are what you can expect from our lawyers and staff. Since 1968 we have helped bereaved families like yours recover not just the money they are entitled to receive, but also to regain their lives.

Let us help you, too. Call Joye Law Firm or fill out an online form for a free case review.

Joye Law Firm has offices in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Clinton, and Columbia, and our highly qualified wrongful death attorneys are ready to take care of your case anywhere in South Carolina. We represent clients all over the state, including Florence, Richland County, Orangeburg, Columbia, Horry County (including Conway and North Myrtle Beach), North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville.

Experience Counts

Our wrongful death attorneys at Joye Law Firm are committed to our clients. With nearly 250 years of combined litigation experience, our South Carolina wrongful death attorneys at Joye Law Firm have received an AV rating from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell, and several have been recognized as Super Lawyers.

While every case is different, and past results are in no way intended to imply that a similar result can be obtained in your case, past results obtained by a law firm do indicate the firm’s experience when it comes to 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.

About Wrongful Death Lawsuits in South Carolina

South Carolina created a cause of action for wrongful death in S.C. Code Ann. § 15-51-10. The statute allows a wrongful death claim to proceed where a person’s death was “caused by the wrongful act, neglect or default of another,” and the deceased person would have been entitled to recover damages from the wrongdoer if he or she had survived.

Virtually any type of fatal accident can be the source of a South Carolina wrongful death lawsuit, including:

South Carolina’s wrongful death statute allows an action to be brought on behalf of the deceased’s spouse and children. If there was no spouse or children, the action is for the benefit of the person’s parents. If there was no spouse, children or parents, then the action is for the benefit of the heirs.

Under South Carolina law, the wrongful death action must be brought by or in the name of the executor or administrator of the deceased person.

Any damages recovered in a wrongful death action will be divided among the spouse, children, parents or heirs according to the shares that they would have been entitled to if the person had died without a will, and the recovery had been part of the personal assets of the estate.

What Kinds of Damages are Available Under SC Wrongful Death Action?

There are some differences between the types of damages that are available under a South Carolina wrongful death action as compared to a personal injury lawsuit, where the victim was not killed.

Generally, the damages available in a wrongful death lawsuit are those incurred by the survivors and can include the following:

  • Medical expenses for the deceased’s treatment
  • Funeral and burial costs
  • Loss of financial support and benefits
  • Loss of household services
  • Loss of companionship, love and guidance
  • Pain and suffering
  • Punitive damages in exceptional situations where the defendant was reckless, willful or malicious in causing the death.

Contact Our South Carolina Wrongful Death Lawyers Today

If you’ve lost a loved one in a South Carolina accident that was caused by someone else’s negligent or intentional act, you can trust our wrongful death attorneys to work to get you the money and benefits you and your family are entitled to.

Call Joye Law Firm at or fill out our free online case evaluation form.