How Can a Greenville Car Accident Lawyer Help You Battle the Insurance Company?

The big insurance companies are not your friend after an accident. They are notorious for using all kinds of tricks, traps, and cheats to pay you less money. The insurance companies hire adjusters with very little health education to second guess your injuries and treatment plans. They don’t know you, and it’s their job to protect their bottom line rather than you.

Our job is to protect you and your interests. We can help you file a personal injury claim, which is typically the first step to receiving compensation after a car accident or other personal injury claim. When you file a claim with an insurance company, you begin a process that is designed to result in a settlement without involving the courts. It can be a complex process, but our car accident attorney in Greenville SC can help it go a little more smoothly. We have helped other clients just like you and are committed to your case. We will gather documents and evidence as we determine the full extent of your loss, build a strong case, and work to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf. Evidence can include medical documentation and bills, lost wage information, and expert testimony.

Our Greenville personal injury attorney can also help you combat the insurance companies’ tricks, traps, and cheats. We have developed a Battle Plan Process to help you to win your case. A lawyer can develop the evidence needed to help prove how you were hurt and how much money it will take to make it right and to make you whole again.

If we are unable to reach a fair and appropriate settlement privately with the insurance company, we can file a lawsuit on your behalf. Personal injury claims are civil lawsuits that are filed in court. These need to be filed within the statute of limitations for the type of case involved. While the case is being processed, we can continue negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf.

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Our Greenville Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help You Get the Medical Care You Need

Getting the right treatment in Greenville is one of the most important things you can do for your case. An experienced doctor, physical therapist, or medical provider can not only help you heal but will provide the proper documentation about how you were hurt and how severe the damage is, how it is affecting your life now, and how it could continue to affect your life in the future.

Many people who have suffered a car crash notice few or no symptoms immediately following the accident but wake up feeling ill the next day. This is common: It can often take hours, days, or even up to a week for the full scope of accident-related injuries to appear. When symptoms appear, contact your doctor and seek care promptly. Even if those symptoms seem mild, such as dizziness or numbness, or you think they might clear up on their own, get checked out with a medical professional and document your injuries.

Just as important, you need to complete your course of treatment. Do not stop any therapy or recommended treatment when you feel better but continue until your doctor releases you from that specific treatment course or changes their treatment recommendations. This not only helps your doctor better understand the potential severity of your injuries but also helps our personal injury attorney in Greenville SC better document and record your injuries.

Our Greenville SC car accident attorney can help you find the proper treatment for your situation. We can refer you to providers we have worked with in the past to help get you the treatment you need. Additionally, many of these providers will wait on collecting your bill until your case resolves.

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A Greenville Lawyer Can Help You Prove Your Case

You know what caused your injuries, and you know who was responsible. The courts can help you hold them legally responsible, but first, you must prove fault. In this context, “fault” is a legal term that refers to liability, negligence, breach of duty, or a failure to act in accordance with legal requirements. In some cases, like rear-end car accidents, determining responsibility can be fairly straight-forward. In other cases, proving responsibility might require the assistance of experts or an accident reconstructionist.

Second, you must prove how much you are owed. This is typically referred to as damages. In Greenville personal injury claims, the majority of damages are medical bills. This is why getting proper treatment by doctors who are experienced with these types of claims is important.

Two things are essential here. One is the total amount of your medical bills. Two is evidence from your doctor that the bills are related to the harms you suffered from the accident. Our lawyers can help you get treatment from experienced medical professionals who can properly document your treatment.

Types of Personal Injury Cases

A personal injury case refers to any number of different types of accidents where an individual suffers harm from the negligence or wrongdoing of another person or company. Common types of personal injury claims in Greenville include car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and truck accidents. Other types of personal cases involve medical malpractice, premises liability, and nursing home negligence. These types of accidents can lead to many injuries ranging from minor to catastrophic and life-altering physical and emotional changes. They can even lead to premature or wrongful deaths.

When you are dealing with the fallout of a personal injury case, a Greenville personal injury attorney can help you with critical aspects of the case. You can contact us 24/7 to start the process of seeing how our attorneys can help.

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Types of Money Damages You Can Include for Personal Injury Claims in Greenville

South Carolina law lays out numerous types of damages in personal injury litigation. Damages are an amount of money that compensates the injured person. Two categories of damages are actual damage and general damages. Actual damages, also called special damages, are those losses that have an exact dollar amount.
These include:
     •Medical bills
     •Prescription charges
     •Lost wages
     •Future expenses
     •Physical therapy and rehabilitation
     •Other services

Medical bills usually make up the largest portion of actual damages in a personal injury case.
General or intangible damages are losses that do not have an exact dollar amount. These include:
     •Disfigurement
     •Loss of family services
     •Deprivation of normal life expectancy
     •Alteration of lifestyle
     •Psychological trauma
     •Mental anguish
     •Apprehension
     •Anxiety
     •Emotional harm
     •Psychological damage
     •Depression
     •Sexual dysfunction
     •Pain and suffering
     •Loss of enjoyment of life

Anyone can use a claim calculator to work up a number, but an experienced personal injury lawyer in Greenville SC will have the skills to negotiate both efficiently and effectively with insurance companies. Our team works with personal injury victims just like you every day, and we can review the facts of your case, develop a plan together to get results. We promise to fight for the maximum compensation to which you are entitled.

A Greenville Personal Injury Attorney Can Help with a Pre-Existing Injury

Most people have pre-existing injuries to various parts of their body or a pre-existing health condition. Car accidents can further aggravate a pre-existing health problem, as well as cause new ones. Insurance adjusters are notorious for exploiting people with a medical history for the purpose of lowering settlement offers.

The law protects people who have pre-existing injuries and makes two things very clear. First, the person who caused the accident is not responsible for any pre-existing problem or pain. Two, the law does not excuse a person for making a pre-existing injury worse.

According to the law, "[t]he fact that a person is more susceptible to injury or death because of a pre-existing condition or weakness does not serve to excuse an otherwise negligent defendant who has caused the injury, or allowed the injury or death to happen when there is a duty to act to prevent it. A negligent defendant takes his plaintiff as he finds him, whether the plaintiff be in perfect health or in poor health, or somewhere in between." Ralph King Anderson, Jr., South Carolina Requests to Charge - Civil, 2009, § 13-13 Damages - Pre-Existing Condition

A Greenville SC car accident attorney can help you contextualize the effects of an accident on any pre-existing injuries or health issues by examining past medical records and properly classifying those injuries. Properly classifying injuries as pre-existing, new, or aggravated will have various implications for your personal injury claim.

Should I Use My Health Insurance After a Car Accident? 

Many people ask if it is best to use employer provided health insurance coverage to pay for medical bills following a car accident. The response in almost every case is "yes". The reason is because it could end up putting extra money into your pocket at the end.

Health insurance providers work directly with medical providers. They negotiate directly with these providers for discounted prices. These negotiated rates can often be up to or more than half off the cash price of services.

Some health insurance policies require reimbursement when one of its insureds obtains a payment, a process called subrogation. Other health insurers don't have this obligation.

Since the law requires an automobile driver who is at fault to pay the full amount of medical bills, the difference in the health insurance reimbursement amount compared to the settlement from the at-fault driver could lead to additional cash in your pocket.

How Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help You Win Your Case?

Personal injury law is also sometimes called tort law. This area of law can be complex and difficult to navigate. As mentioned, insurance companies are not on your side. They are businesses, and their primary responsibility is to their shareholders and their customers. They will not give away any more money than is absolutely necessary, and that could mean accident victims are left with unpaid bills and uncompensated losses. The benefits of skilled legal representation cannot be overstated.

An experienced personal injury lawyer in Greenville SC can offer extensive support in your journey for justice, helping you analyze, evaluate, and organize critical records and evidence and will have a network of key witnesses and investigators who can provide further support for your case. Furthermore, our legal team can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to fight for a fair outcome on your car accident claim.

If you have suffered significant damages or injuries as a result of your car crash, our car accident lawyer in Greenville SC can provide you with invaluable assistance by obtaining all necessary documentation related to not only your injuries but your losses.

These documents can be difficult to obtain on your own and may be in several locations, including a hospital, doctor’s office, specialist’s office, and rehabilitation facilities. Our legal team can navigate these complex waters for you and gather all documents and records to help you build a strong case, creating a paper trail of your injuries, losses, recovery, prognosis, potential disability, and more to demonstrate the full effect of the defendant’s negligence on your life.

We not only negotiate with insurance adjusters on your behalf but also lien holders. If your own health insurance company paid benefits on your behalf to ensure your injuries would be treated, they may place a lien on your settlement claim to recoup their own costs. We can negotiate to protect any compensation you receive to protect your financial future.

Deadlines in Greenville SC Personal Injury Cases

The statute of limitations is the main deadline you need to worry about in personal injury claims. This deadline is the amount of time an injured person has to either settle their claim or file a lawsuit. In most cases, the statute of limitations in personal injury suits is three years from the date of the initial injury.

While most cases can be resolved well before three years, it’s important to calculate this deadline and review it often. Additionally, it's best for an experienced personal injury attorney to review the claim to make sure the statute of limitations isn’t shorter than three years. For example, if a government worker is the person who causes the injury, the statute of limitations can be two years. A skilled car accident lawyer in Greenville SC can help ensure your rights are protected within the statute of limitations and that you meet all applicable deadlines.

Talking to a Greenville Personal Injury Attorney

Insurance companies do not give away more money than they can help. While they might offer you a settlement, it may be a lowball offer. They may cover only part of your actual medical costs, or they may ignore your pain and suffering or lost wages entirely. With an attorney on your side, you can ensure your damages are calculated fairly, and we will negotiate for a settlement that compensates you appropriately for all your losses. We will go head to head with the insurance company and fight until you are satisfied with the results.

Our services are tailored to your needs and challenges. We will look at your bills and your losses and will explore all options when it comes to negotiating. We will talk to witnesses, doctors, and professionals in various fields to ensure that we have all the information necessary to fight for you.

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Understanding Liability and Damages

In a personal injury case, two factors will come into play: liability and damages. Liability refers to the person or entity who bears legal responsibility for the injury or loss. Liability can be established based on strict liability, negligence, or intentional wrong.

Under strict liability, a defendant is liable for an outcome regardless of negligence or criminal or malicious intent. An example of a personal injury case with strict liability could be a defective product or a dog biting someone.

A defendant accused of negligence is accused of failing to have maintained an appropriate level of care that an ordinary person would exercise under similar circumstances. This can include both actions and failures to act. For example, a reckless driver careening through a red light at a high rate of speed may be negligent. A business owner that failed to clean a mess, which resulted in a slip and fall, may also be negligent.

Intentional wrongs are typically associated with criminal cases.

Guaranteed, Or We’ll Work for Free

My firm is confident in our ability to help people who have been hurt in personal injury cases. We are so confident that we guarantee we will recover money for you or we will work for free. That’s right: If we don’t get a settlement or verdict for you, you owe us no fee*.

While our clients are responsible for the expenses of their cases, our firm advances those costs in most cases. Our guarantee applies to attorney’s fees and not to case expenses. Contact us today to learn more about your options or to schedule a no-obligation free consultation with a member of our team.