Myrtle Beach Disfigurement Lawyer

Myrtle Beach Disfigurement Attorney

Some injuries heal over time, but others leave permanent marks on your body and can affect your health and confidence. If you were involved in an incident that left you disfigured, contact a Myrtle Beach disfigurement lawyer to help review your personal injury case and pursue legal options.

Hire a Disfigurement Lawyer to Represent Your Case

With over 100 years of combined professional experience, the team at Axelrod & Associates, P.A., works tirelessly for our clients. We understand how difficult life can be after an incident that leaves behind physical marks of what happened. When that incident happened due to the actions of another, it’s normal to want to seek justice.

While compensation can’t take away the emotional or physical pain, it can help you recover your financial losses and hold the responsible party accountable for what they did. Our firm offers free consultations to those living in Myrtle Beach and the surrounding cities in South Carolina.

Common Types of Legal Cases That Can Cause Disfigurement

Many types of accidents can cause disfigurement and are eligible to pursue a legal case. If another party was the cause of your injuries, and you provide evidence pointing to this, you likely have good cause for a case. Common cases that may cause disfigurement include:

• Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents. As a country that relies on cars for our primary mode of transit, motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death and injury for Americans. In 2023, South Carolina had a traffic collision that led to injury every 15.2 minutes.
• Unsafe property conditions. These cases happen when an owner or occupier of a property fails to reasonably maintain the premises, leading to visitors being injured. These cases vary widely and can include a grocery store aisle spill not properly being cleaned, leading to a fall from a customer, or even cases of criminal acts happening due to improper security measures.
• Dog bites. Around 12,480 Americans are hospitalized every year because of a dog bite injury. These incidents are unfortunately common and can lead to the victim having permanent scarring and pain.
• Medical mistakes. When a patient receives treatment, they deserve to feel like they can trust and rely on their medical team to care for them. When this doesn’t happen, and the healthcare provider commits medical malpractice, survivors can pursue a legal case against them.
• Workplace accidents. In 2023, South Carolina had a reported 30,100 incidents of a private industry workplace injury or illness. When an accident happens in the workplace, employees often feel destabilized. What happens at work not only affects your job, but also your finances, emotional well-being, and personal life.

No matter your specific situation, be sure to hire a disfigurement lawyer to represent your case.
At Axelrod & Associates, P.A., we’ll be able to help you gather evidence and file your claim at the Horry County Government & Justice Center, located at 1301 Second Avenue in Conway.

Types of Damages Available to Be Requested in Your Case

During your case, your lawyer will file for compensation. This amount is calculated using the evidence of the losses you’ve suffered as a result of your injuries. These losses are also called damages. You can file for damages to recover compensation in Myrtle Beach for:

• Medical bills, including surgeries, medications, mobility devices, mental health therapy, and physical therapy
• Pain and suffering
• Lost income due to missing work from your injuries
• Any damage to your physical property during the incident, such as your vehicle, cell phone, clothing, wallet, or bag
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Disfigurement
• Mental anguish

There are limits on the amount of non-economic damages that can be requested in a medical malpractice case. Non-economic damages are any damages not tied to a dollar amount, such as pain and suffering and scarring. In medical malpractice cases, non-economic damages are usually capped at $350,000 per case when they involve only one medical provider or one medical institution.

If multiple providers or institutions are involved, each one has a $350,000 limit, but the total non-economic damages for the case can’t exceed $1,050,000 per case.

Economic damages, such as your medical bills, have no cap on the amount you can request in a medical malpractice case.

FAQs About Myrtle Beach, SC Disfigurement Laws

How Do South Carolina Courts Determine Fault in a Disfigurement Case?

South Carolina courts determine fault in a disfigurement case by assigning everyone involved a percentage of fault, even the victim. Any compensation awarded to you will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you were disfigured in a car accident in which you were speeding beforehand, you may be assigned 20% fault. If you won $100,000, you would only review $80,000.

What Is the Deadline for Filing My Disfigurement Case in South Carolina?

The deadline for filing your disfigurement case in South Carolina is generally three years for most types of cases. For medical malpractice cases, the deadline to file starts when the incident happened or when the victim discovered the mistake. However, any mistakes discovered six years after the incident can’t be legally pursued.

What Are Punitive Damages?

Punitive damages are a specific type of damage that may be awarded to victims in unique situations where the wrongdoer acted with extreme malice or negligence. For example, if someone intentionally disfigured you, they may have to pay you punitive damages. These damages benefit the victim, but were specifically designed to further punish the guilty party and deter them from doing similar behavior in the future.

What Evidence Do I Need to Win My Disfigurement Case?

You need extensive evidence to win your disfigurement case. Your lawyer can help gather witness testimony, as well as any surveillance footage that caught the incident on tape. Include any incident reports and your medical records. Photos and videos showing your injuries and the incident site can be helpful proof. Consider writing a detailed timeline of events to show to the court.

Choose a Trusted South Carolina Law Firm

When facing the stress of starting a legal case, you need an empathetic lawyer to help you through it. Reach out to Axelrod & Associates, P.A. today to learn how one of our five skilled attorneys can help you. We offer free case consultations to clients in Myrtle Beach and surrounding South Carolina cities.