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If You’re a Passenger in a South Carolina Car Accident

Being a passenger injured in a car accident is an extremely stressful situation to be in. You were not the one operating the motor vehicle but you ended up being the one hurt anyways. So now what do you do? How to do you recover the losses that you have suffered from what was supposed to be a simple car ride?

If You're A Passenger in A South Carolina Car Accident For most people, suing the driver, who may be a close friend, seems a rather distasteful proposition but is that your only course of action? South Carolina is one of many states that have fault-based liability. Simply put, South Carolina’s fault-based liability laws state that each individual driver is responsible for the injuries and/or damages that he causes during a car accident. Here are some tips on what to do if you suffer from a passenger injury after a car accident in the state of South Carolina and when you should contact a South Carolina personal injury attorney.

Filing a Claim Against Your Auto Insurance

If the driver of the car you were in is the driver that is deemed at-fault for the car accident then you have every right to file a claim against their current insurance policy. The portion of the driver’s insurance that deals with liability coverage is what will be used to cover any passenger injury such as medical costs, lost wages claims, and pain and suffering as long as it does not exceed the policy’s pre-set limits.

The good news here is that because you are filing a claim against the driver’s insurance and not filing a lawsuit against them, this should not cause the driver any additional strain, financial or otherwise. This is the reason why liability coverage exists. All you are doing here is seeking financial recompensation from the insurance company for injuries you have sustained in a car accident for which you were not at fault.

If your claim exceeds the pre-set limitations of the driver’s liability insurance or if your insurance company denies you claim, then you should contact a South Carolina personal injury attorney.

File a Claim Against the Other Driver’s Insurance

If the driver of the other vehicle involved in the car accident is found to be to be the one at fault, then you would file a claim against their insurance policy instead. Your claim would still be held to the pre-set limitations on the other driver’s liability insurance.

Seeking any passenger injury claim beyond that pre-set amount would likely mean filing a lawsuit to claim the rest of your damages. If you find out that is the case, you should contact a personal injury attorney in South Carolina as soon as possible.

File a Claim Against Your Own Driver’s Insurance

In this situation, an injured passenger may be able to file a claim against the medical payments portion of their own insurance policy. This portion of your insurance is not based on liability and may still be able to offer you coverage as a passenger in a third party vehicle car accident.

Unfortunately, losses like lost wages and pain and suffering will not be included in this type of coverage. It will only allow for medical expenses. To try and obtain compensation for your remaining losses, you would have to try one of the previous two options or contact a personal injury attorney and discuss your passenger injury options with him.

South Carolina Car Accident Injury Attorney

Here at Nye Law Group, we have a staff of dedicated, hard-working attorneys that know all the ins and outs of today’s legal system. If you have recently suffered a passenger injury in South Carolina and are seeking compensation for your losses please reach out to us. We would love to go over your case with you in a free consultation. Call Nye Law Group today at (912) 200-5230 and speak with one of practicing attorneys today.

Fulton County, GA – Accident Involving Injuries on Interstate 285

Fulton County, GA (December 4, 2018) – In Fulton County, an accident involving injuries took place on Interstate 285 in the eastbound lanes at New Northside Drive. The accident was so serious that it blocked the right lane of the highway for quite some time. Continue reading “Fulton County, GA – Accident Involving Injuries on Interstate 285”

Three Common Mistakes Made By North Carolina Car Accident Victims

After a car accident, it is perfectly normal for those involved to be frightened, confused, and disoriented. Making on-the-spot-decisions about the next course of action is extremely difficult to do in the moment. Drivers can often make poor decisions that, later on down the road, prevent them from being eligible the full amount of the losses they sustained in the crash such as medical bills, and lost wages from missing work.

Learning what some of the most frequently made mistakes are can help you learn to identify and avoid them will give you your best chance at being able to collect on all the damages that are owed to you under the law in North Carolina. Additionally, if you’ve been involved in a car accident in North Carolina, the attorneys at Nye Law Group can help. 

Giving a Formal Statement to An Insurance Company After an Accident

Once you have been involved in a car accident, the calls from insurance companies will begin almost immediately. It is common practice for the representative who contacts you to be either very aggressive or very misleading when it comes to telling you that you MUST give a recorded statement immediately. Insurance companies are interested in protecting their assets and in minimizing payouts.

By cornering you and getting you to give a statement when you are completely unprepared and possibly still shaken is just one of the tricks that they use to get you to make statements that can be twisted around, misread, and used against you later on. In the state of North Carolina, you are not required to give a recorded statement.

Any attempt by the insurance company to get you to do so is an effort to collect evidence against. If you fall prey to this trap it could end up being a very costly mistake in the long run, especially considering that North Carolina is a state of contributory negligence.

Talking About Your Car Accident on Social Media

Regardless of which social media platform you use, once you post a picture or a statement it Three Common Mistakes Made by North Carolina Car Accident Victimsis out there for the entire world to see. This includes judges, insurance adjusters, and defense attorneys. Anything that you post on social media about what you are doing or how you are feeling can absolutely be used against you.

Even posting something as innocent as “Having a good day today.” can be twisted to mean that you were not feeling any pain from the injuries you claimed you had. After you have been involved in a car accident it is best to lie low on all forms of social media.

Failing to Document Your Car Accident

The best way to ensure your North Carolina car accident attorney has the biggest chance of success is by documenting as much as you possibly can after your car accident. This includes everything from accident and police reports, witness names and numbers, medical information, prescriptions, and even notes from your doctor. In a case where you are trying to collect damages for all these types of things, you have to be able to prove that they were actual expenses you incurred and that they were the result of the car accident.

Even the best personal injury attorney will be fighting an uphill battle if you are unable to provide him with documentation of the exact injuries you suffered from and how much their individual treatments cost you.

North Carolina Car Accident Attorney

These are just a few of the mistakes that car accident victims make that end up hurting their claims in the long run. So before you cause permanent damage to your case or inadvertently sign your right away, contact one of the personal injury attorneys here at Nye Law Group in North Carolina for a free consultation. Call us at (912) 200-5230 today before you do anything else regarding your car accident.

Driving Tips for Staying Safe On Wintry Roads in Georgia

If you wanted to create ideal conditions for a car accident, you couldn’t do better than snow in the south. This part of the country isn’t as prone to snow and ice as its northern neighbors so when true winter weather does come to the area, many drivers are unprepared and unsure of what to do. Roads covered with snow, ice, and black ice can present a real challenge to even the most experienced of drivers in Georgia. These conditions, while rare, cause catastrophic car accidents in Georgia every year.

Both of these winter marvels can cause your tires to lose friction with the road making your car difficult to control. The winter season also means a very restricted number of daylight hours so people are more likely to be facing these perils in the dark which is already a driving hazard in and of itself.

Driving Tips for Staying Safe on Wintry Roads in GeorgiaAccording to a study done by the United States Department of Transportation, roughly 6000 people are killed each year in traffic accidents that are strictly related to winter weather. Before you venture forth into unfavorable weather conditions, you should be familiar with some basic winter driving tips that can help keep you safe and potentially prevent a serious car accident. If you are injured in a car crash in Georgia due to winter driving conditions, you should contact a successful car accident attorney as soon as possible.

How to Drive Safely in Winter

Slow Down

The key to maintaining control over your vehicle on snowy or icy roads is to go slow. Basic movements, such as stopping, accelerating, and turning will all take longer than they usually do and the results are far less predictable. Your braking distance will be greatly increased and a slow speed will help to accommodate that, preventing sudden skids and rear-end collisions. The posted speed limit is almost completely meaningless when you are driving over snow or ice. Your goal here is to travel safely, not quickly. In winter driving conditions “safe” and “fast” never go hand in hand.

Keep on Rolling

Try to only stop on snow or ice if you absolutely cannot avoid doing so. It requires a lot more power to get a car stopped on snow or ice going again than it does to increase the speed of a car that is already moving. If you are coming up on a red light, it is best to slow way down and try to remain moving until the light changes then it is to come up on the light and have to come to a complete stop and then try to get moving again.

Let it Snow

Sometimes the best way for you to stay safe is to stay at home. Unless your trip is urgent, it may be best to sit and simply wait out the bad weather. Be aware of the weather forecast, know when the snow is expected to stop and plan your outing for sometime after that. Remember, even if you feel that you are a fantastic winter weather driver, not every other driver on the road is going to be as fantastic.

Staying home in inclement weather conditions reduces your risk of being involved in a car accident by 100%. So make some cocoa, turn on a movie and enjoy the snow from the warmth and safety of your own home.

Georgia Car Crash Attorney

If you or a family member has been injured in a car wreck in Georgia during any kind of weather, you need to seek the assistance of a car accident attorney immediately. We here at Nye Law Group can help you learn more about filing a claim for compensation. For a free consultation with one of our attorneys, call us at (912) 200-5230.

 

Aiken County, SC – Man Loses Life in Fatal Accident On Storm Branch Road

Aiken County, SC (December 1, 2018) – Police say that a man lost his life in a fatal accident that took place on Storm Branch Road around 3 p.m. today, December 1. The coroner arrived at the scene and identified the party as 33-year-old Johnathan Monroig. Continue reading “Aiken County, SC – Man Loses Life in Fatal Accident On Storm Branch Road”

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402 West Trade Street,
Suite 112
Charlotte, NC

704-285-6319 get directions

119 Southern Boulevard, Savannah, GA 31405

912-200-5230 get directions
View all locations
CONTACT US

NO PRESSURE. SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY. NO HIDDEN FEES.

* All Fields Required

Or Call 912-200-5230