What are the most common types of personal injury claims in SC?

Most Common Types of Personal Injury Claims in South Carolina

At Axelrod and Associates, our personal injury attorneys help our clients to receive full and fair compensation in a wide range of personal injury cases. The most common types of personal injury claims that we handle include automobile accidents, slip and fall and other premises liability claims, medical malpractice claims, assaults, dog bites, workplace accidents, and wrongful death cases.

Any time that you are injured because of someone else’s negligence or intentional acts, the person or company who caused your injuries is responsible for the damage that they caused, and your Myrtle Beach personal injury lawyer on the Axelrod team has the experience that you need to recover the maximum compensation owed to you.

Auto Accidents

Automobile accidents are the most common type of personal injury claim that is filed nationwide.

Whether it is a fender bender with minor injuries or a multi-vehicle crash with tragic consequences, your attorney at Axelrod and Associates knows how to handle an auto accident case. We investigate the crash, help our clients to gather the evidence needed to prove liability and damages, negotiate with the insurance company to settle your case, and take them to trial if they will not pay full and fair compensation for your injuries.

Auto accident claims may include:

Trucking accidents – when commercial vehicles cause crashes;

Drunk driving accidents – when an intoxicated motorist crashes and hurts other motorists or passengers; and

Motorcycle crashes – including accidents on mopeds.

Slip and Fall Accidents – Premises Liability

Slip and fall accidents, and other types of premises liability claims, are another common type of personal injury claim.

Unless you are trespassing, property owners have a duty to make their premises safe, to correct any safety hazards, or to warn the public of dangerous conditions that can’t be fixed immediately. This could include:

• Slip and fall cases where a grocery store, restaurant, or other business did not clean up a spill, an icy sidewalk, or other condition that causes someone to slip and fall;
• Trip and fall cases where businesses leave objects, cords, or other hazards where a person could trip and fall;
• Uneven sidewalks, potholes, or other hazards that could cause a person to fall;
• Falling items from a store shelf that could hurt a person; or
• Any unsafe condition that the property owner is on notice of and has not corrected.

Medical Malpractice

Every day, people are injured or killed due to a doctor or other medical professional’s negligence. Although the legislature has made it increasingly difficult to find justice for victims of medical malpractice, you are still entitled to compensation for damage caused by incompetent doctors or hospitals, including:

• Birth injuries;
• Misdiagnoses or failure to diagnose;
• Botched surgeries; and
• Use of dangerous drugs or faulty medical devices.

Assault

Although we usually think of assault as a criminal offense, it is also a tort – the person who assaulted you is liable for the damages that they caused.

Assault is an intentional tort – this means that the person committing the assault may also be liable for punitive damages in addition to your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other “ordinary” damages that you suffered.

When can you sue for assault?

Although any person who commits an assault is liable for damages, not every person can pay. This means that many assault cases are not viable personal injury lawsuits unless the defendant has assets that can be tapped into to pay a verdict or the defendant’s employer is liable for their actions – such as when a bouncer uses unreasonable force on a bar or restaurant patron.

Dog Attacks

Dog bites and other types of dog attacks are a common type of personal injury claim, and dog owners have strict liability for dog attacks in SC.

Whether the dog bites you or just jumps on you, knocking you down, if it attacks without provocation you are entitled to full and fair compensation for your injuries caused by a dog attack.

Workplace Accidents

When you are injured on the job, workers’ compensation insurance will cover your damages in most cases.

Whether you are suffering from the gradual onset of a repetitive trauma type injury, like carpal tunnel syndrome, an occupational disease caused by exposure to harmful chemicals or irritants, a fall, or injuries caused by a machine at your workplace, your workers’ compensation attorney on the Axelrod team can help you to file your claim, gather the evidence you will need, present your case, and file any appeals that are necessary to collect your worker’s comp benefits.

Wrongful Death

A wrongful death case can result from an auto accident, drunk driving accident, assault, slip and fall, or any type of personal injury claim where someone’s death was caused by another person or company.

When someone’s negligence or intentional act results in your loved one’s death, the surviving family members can bring a wrongful death action to hold the at-fault party accountable and to compensate the survivors for medical costs, burial expenses, pain and suffering, and, in some cases, punitive damages.

GOT AXELROD

If you have been injured or a family member has been killed due to someone else’s negligence or intentional acts, the Myrtle Beach personal injury lawyers at Axelrod and Associates will help you to recover maximum damages whenever possible.

Call 843-353-3449 or complete our contact form for a free initial consultation with a Myrtle Beach personal injury attorney on the Axelrod team.