Need An Injury Lawyer After A DUI Accident in South Carolina?
When a driver makes the extremely poor decision to drive drunk, innocent bystanders and other drivers may suffer the consequences of that decision as well. In 2016, South Carolina had 331 drunk driving deaths, an increase of 24 from 2015. South Carolina’s total ranks 6th among all states, despite being 23rd in population. 33% of traffic fatalities were caused by a drunk driver, which is 11th highest and higher than the national average of 28%. Total South Carolina traffic deaths increased by 36 to 1,015.
A first-time conviction of driving under the influence in South Carolina may include a jail term of up to 90 days, driver’s license suspension up to six months and fines of up to $1,000. Subsequent convictions for drunk driving can lead to prison terms of up to seven years, fines of up to $10,000 and a permanent license suspension.
How Will the Drunk Driver Be Held Accountable to You?
If you were suffered injuries or lost a family member or loved one because of a drunk driver’s actions, you need an experienced and aggressive lawyer on your side. The drunk driver may have to answer to the South Carolina criminal justice system, but this will not hold them accountable to you in terms of what you have lost, especially the financial impact. And you need an attorney to advocate that you be financially compensated.
Most likely, you will be able to recover the most money not from the drunk driver personally, but from insurance companies. This is the time to hire a skilled personal injury attorney who has experience dealing with drunk drivers and the wreckage they have caused in the lives of innocent victims like you. Your attorney will look for any insurance policies which might have covered the accident in question.
Why You Need an Experienced Trial Attorney
Some attorneys are primarily litigators, which means they rarely if ever go through the trial process. And then there are attorneys who are known for their ability to successfully represent their clients through the trial process. Being a trial attorney involves entirely different skills from merely being a litigator. And it is trial attorneys who are feared and respected by insurance companies, much moreso than litigators.
Most attorneys will try to negotiate with an insurance company and ask the insurance company to pay you money as a result of a drunk driver’s actions. But unless the insurance company is dealing with a known trial attorney, the insurer will likely not offer a fair settlement.
In contrast, trial attorneys have much greater command over the amount of money that they can recover for their clients for one simple reason: the insurance company’s fear of trial. The insurance adjuster who has denied the personal injury attorney’s claim now must face a random jury, and that jury will review the adjuster’s decision. If a jury overturns that adjuster’s decision, the adjuster will now have to answer to their bosses at the insurance company. This is a position that insurance adjusters never want to face, and will most likely settle a case rather than face a skilled trial attorney, who could potentially make that adjuster look like a fool in front of an entire courtroom and the public.
So, choose an attorney from Need An Injury Lawyer South Carolina, where you will find many skilled and experienced lawyers who know how to recover the compensation you deserve. Please contact us today!