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If you or a loved one have been injured through the negligence of another person, you may be wondering what to do next. You may not know where to turn.
When you work with our Greenville personal injury lawyer, you can seek justice for the harm caused to you or your loved one. Working with an attorney is the way to move forward. It can not only provide you with fair and just compensation, but it can also help to increase your peace of mind.
To get the quality help and support you need with your case, you want a Greenville personal injury lawyer that residents recommend. We know it can be very difficult to navigate the accident aftermath and the insurance claims made from the injuries.
However, the attorneys at Smith Jordan have years of experience working against insurance companies. We want to ensure you can get back on your feet financially and experience a better quality of life. If you were emotionally or physically injured by the negligence of someone else, reaching out to a Greenville personal injury lawyer is the first step.
The primary goal of any personal injury claim is to recover compensation for the losses you suffered as a result of the other party’s negligence. These losses are known as damages and may include both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are financial losses that can be easily quantified with a dollar amount, including medical bills, lost wages and earning capacity, and more.
Non-economic damages are more subjective but can still be substantial. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium all fall under this category.
You’re under enough stress as it is after suffering an injury; the last thing you need to worry about is how to pay for legal representation. That’s why we represent injured clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that you don’t owe us anything unless we recover money for your case. At that time, we take a percentage of the settlement or court award.
Once our Greenville personal injury lawyer has identified the potentially liable parties, we’ll need to prove that they owed you a duty of care and breached this duty, resulting in your injuries. To do this, we’ll draw from various sources of evidence, such as:
Our attorneys are experienced at securing evidence and using it to formulate a compelling legal argument that demonstrates how the defendant’s negligence caused your injury.
There are many types of personal injury cases, each unique due to the specific circumstances surrounding it. However, there are also commonalities experienced by nearly everyone who is a part of these accidents.
At Smith Jordan, we don’t just seek an adequate settlement — we seek maximum compensation. This means that we will fight the insurance company for every dollar you’re entitled to under the law.
Insurance companies exist to make money. They have robust teams of adjusters and lawyers who are trained to minimize your settlement. You don’t have to challenge them on your own — we know their tricks and won’t let them get away with paying you less than you deserve.
To successfully pursue a personal injury case on your behalf, our attorneys must identify the parties who are legally responsible for your harm. The identities of these parties will depend on the circumstances of your accident. Common examples include:
In many cases, multiple parties may be held liable for the same accident. Our attorneys work diligently to determine the full scope of liability and pursue compensation from all responsible parties.
Every personal injury case is unique, but there are some general steps that you can likely expect from the process.
Before we agree to take your case, our Greenville SC personal injury lawyers will meet with you to discuss the details of your injury. We’ll then decide if you have a viable case and explain your legal options.
If we mutually agree to move forward with a personal injury claim, we’ll investigate the accident. This includes gathering any relevant documents and other evidence that can support your claim.
After we have sufficient evidence, we’ll formally initiate your claim by filing a demand for compensation with the liable party or their insurance provider. This document will outline the damages you requested, the grounds for your claim, and the supporting evidence.
A negotiation period usually follows the demand for compensation. During this time, our attorneys will meet with the liable party and their insurance provider, in hopes of reaching a mutually agreeable settlement outside of court.
If the liable party refuses to offer a fair settlement, we’ll file a personal injury lawsuit and take the case to court. At trial, we will present evidence and arguments in your favor and allow the judge or jury to decide on an appropriate award.
Most personal injury claims in South Carolina have a strict three-year deadline known as the statute of limitations. This means that, in most cases, you must file your claim within three years of the date that the injury occurred to get the compensation you deserve.
Your first meeting with a personal injury lawyer is an important step in understanding your legal options and having your case evaluated.
During this initial consultation, your lawyer will take the time to get to know you and discuss your accident in detail. The information they will request includes the circumstances surrounding the incident, related medical records and bills, contact information of any witnesses or other involved parties, details about any insurance claim previously filed, and documentation relating to lost income for those unable to work.
Your lawyer’s role during this meeting will be to listen intently, answer any questions you might have about the legal process and provide a preliminary assessment of your case merits. By the end of your consultation, you should feel more confident about how to proceed with your case.
When it comes to personal injury claims, the ultimate goal of either party is usually to settle the case without going to a trial. However, depending on the details and circumstances of the case, a lawsuit may be necessary in order to determine liability and compensation for damages. A skilled personal injury lawyer can help advise you as to whether or not your claim should go to trial, by evaluating factors such as the severity of your injuries, how much evidence you have that supports your claim, and whether or not insurance companies involved are working in good faith. In some cases, negotiations may break down or there may be a deadline set by statute that necessitates taking the matter before a judge and jury. Knowing your legal rights ahead of time is key in understanding all possible options with respect to resolving a personal injury dispute.
A personal injury lawsuit can take months or even years to reach a resolution, depending on the complexities of the case and the area where it is being litigated. An attorney can provide an estimate of the timeline based on their experience with similar cases and the backlog in the courts. However, delays due to COVID-19 have caused backlogs in many court systems worldwide, increasing the amount of time it takes for cases to progress. Depending on the complexity of your individual case, you can expect to devote significant amounts of time over several months as you attend hearings and document reviews as part of this legal process. Your attorney can explain all aspects of proceedings for your particular situation so that you know exactly what to expect throughout the journey towards obtaining necessary compensation from a successful personal injury lawsuit.
Understanding how long you have to file a personal injury claim is critical. Depending on your location, the statute of limitations regarding personal injury claims varies. Generally, there are two different timelines: one for filing a lawsuit in court, and one for notifying an insurance company of your intention to file a claim. In most cases, you must let the insurer know within one year of the incident that caused your injury, while the window to file a lawsuit might be two or three years. To ensure you understand all applicable rules and regulations, it’s important to consult with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
Deciding whether or not to accept the insurance company’s settlement can be a difficult decision, especially if you don’t understand the whole situation. Before making your decision, you should consider factors such as whether other offers are available and if they offer enough compensation for your claim. Researching the type and amount of coverage provided by the policy is also important, as well as understanding any limitations on the amount an insurer can provide. Additionally, take into account any legal and financial implications that may come with accepting or rejecting the settlement. This includes consulting with a lawyer and financial advisor before making a final choice. Ultimately, the decision should be made based off what you feel is in your best interest given all information surrounding the situation.
Negligence is at the heart of all personal injury cases in South Carolina. For your Greenville personal injury lawyer to have a valid case, you must have been harmed in an accident that involved a breach of duty. For example: in a car accident, this might involve speeding or driving under the influence.
Proving that the other party was negligent may need to be better. Additionally, you’ll need to demonstrate that this negligence was directly responsible for your injury.
Returning to the car accident example, the link between negligence and your injuries could involve medical records revealing that your current back pain was caused by a negligence-involved rear-end collision — and not a pre-existing condition.
Medical bills, lost wages, and other effects of the injuries sustained can have a profound effect on your life. We are here to reduce that effect by fighting for the fair compensation you deserve.
If you’re ready to get the legal help you need to get your life back on track, contact our South Carolina personal injury attorneys at (864) 387-8657.
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