It can be tempting to accept your first settlement offer or negotiate with insurance companies after you’ve been injured in an accident, as opposed to going to court. Accidents and injuries often place victims in financially vulnerable positions as their medical bills begin piling up along with their lost wages and any property damage that needs repairs. You may be in a hurry to get immediate compensation and don’t have the time to go through court proceedings.

Other individuals are, understandably, overwhelmed and traumatized from their accidents and want to move on with their lives as soon as possible. However, there are many benefits of filing a personal injury claim and going to court that you should consider before making a decision that will likely impact your life and your family’s future.

RECOVERING FULL COMPENSATION

One major benefit of taking your case to court is that you have the opportunity to win a much higher settlement so you can comfortably recover all your damages. Insurance companies are notorious for offering low settlements the first time around, which they know desperate victims may take without question. Though the court process may take some time, in the end, you may be able to rest knowing you won the amount you deserve. Settling outside of court can get you compensation quicker, but you may soon learn that the amount you got isn’t enough to cover the full extent of your injuries and damages. Unfortunately, victims aren’t able to reopen their case once they’ve accepted their settlement – the amount you’ve taken is all you have.

ACCESS TO PUNITIVE DAMAGES

In certain cases, individuals who file personal injury claims may be able to recover punitive damages in addition to economic and non-economic damages. Punitive damages are ordered by courts as a way to punish at-fault parties if their actions were extremely negligent or willful. Settlements gained outside of court won’t include these damages, which some parties may need to cover the costs of their future medical expenses or diminished earning capacity.

OBJECTIVE RULINGS FROM IMPARTIAL JUDGES

There are many ways that defendants and insurance companies can manipulate victims or undermine their claims so they don’t have to pay the full amount of compensation or be held 100% liable for damages. However, when your case goes to court, the decision will be made by an impartial judge based on the evidence that is presented. This means you have a fair chance of recovering what is owed to you as long as you have sufficient evidence to show the defendant was negligent and that their negligence caused your injuries and suffering.

YOU DESERVE HONEST LEGAL REPRESENTATION

Bostic Law Group, P.A. has over 25 years of experience helping injured individuals and families in their time of need. There are many things that can go wrong if you attempt to settle your case on your own, as the legal process is complex and insurance companies may attempt to take advantage of your vulnerability to save money. Having recovered millions in damages after filing personal injury claims, our attorneys can be trusted to provide you with compassionate and honest legal representation.

We can sit down with you and help you understand your rights before we work tirelessly to protect them from self-serving parties and insurance companies. You also have a higher chance of recovering the full amount of compensation you need with an experienced attorney on your side. If you’re unsure of what to do, don’t hesitate to call us so we can walk you through scenarios and offer you options.

Contact our team online or by phone at (843) 350-9646 for a legal consultation regarding your personal injury or nursing home abuse case. We’re available to advise you on all aspects of your case, including whether it’s a good idea to go to court.

When it comes to driving, there are a number of preventative measures drivers can take to increase safety on the road and prevent accidents, especially since so many accidents are caused by driver errors. One of these measures involves refreshing yourself on your car functions and state traffic and safety laws like the ones governing headlight usage.

While signage and public service announcements always remind us to fasten our seat belts, there’s less literature out there to remind drivers when they should turn on their headlights. Understanding headlight etiquette is extremely important because your lights are the one thing that allows you to be able to see the road at night and in poor weather.

WHAT ARE MY HEADLIGHTS & WHEN DO I USE THEM?

Your headlights, which are also known as dipped headlights or low beams, are designed to give you maximum visibility when navigating streets and highways. These differ from high beams, or full beam headlights, which are brighter and angled higher to give drivers even higher visibility than low beams. It’s recommended that you refrain from using your high beams unless you’re in a secluded or rural area with no cars around, as the harsh light can blind oncoming drivers and cause serious accidents and injuries.

WHEN ARE HEADLIGHTS REQUIRED?

In South Carolina, the law firmly mandates that all vehicles traveling on streets or highways must turn on their headlights from a half-hour after the sun sets until a half-hour before sunrise. Simply put, all drivers must turn on their headlights when they are driving at night.

Other instances that legally require you to turn on your lights in South Carolina include:

• When your windshield wipers are on in the event of rain, sleet, or snow
• Any time you’re having trouble spotting other drivers or if drivers may have trouble spotting you

These situations specifically apply to driving in the rain, snow, or fog, and if you’re caught violating these laws, you could be pulled over and issued a fine. Without your low beams, it can be nearly impossible for you to detect other cars or road hazards in front of you in the dark or on a rainy day, increasing your risk of getting into an accident. A driver who forgets to turn on their headlights when driving at midnight, for instance, may be unable to see a slowed or stalled car in the middle of the street until it’s too late to avoid colliding with it.

To avoid creating a dangerous situation for yourself and others, it’s best to remember to turn on your lights as soon as the sun goes down and whenever you need to use your wipers – fortunately, many newer car models are equipped with a function that automatically turns on the low beams when the windshield wipers are activated.

MILLIONS RECOVERED FOR CAR ACCIDENT VICTIMS

At Bostic Law Group, P.A., we take car accidents seriously. Even if you received minor injuries, you deserve to be compensated for your damages, pain, and trauma from the at-fault party. No victim should ever have to be personally responsible for paying their own medical bills or car repairs when someone else’s negligence caused them harm.

Our attorneys have more than 25 years of experience and a successful track record that shows how committed we are to getting results for our clients. We’ve helped clients who have been injured by drunk drivers, distracted drivers, speeding, and more, and we’re ready to use this knowledge to help you in your personal injury claim.

Contact our team online or by phone at (843) 350-9646 for a legal consultation after a car accident. If you or someone you love has been injured, you may be entitled to seek compensation from the at-fault driver.

COVID-19 has impacted virtually every industry in the world, requiring people to make sacrifices and adapt. Though anyone can become infected with the coronavirus, some of the most vulnerable people are older adults over the age of 65, which is why nursing homes are at high risk. According to reports, 2 out of every 5 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Nursing homes are being ravaged by the virus around the country, and there are various factors that have contributed to this spread, a main one being understaffing. Nursing homes are notorious for high turnover rates, and a lack of staff can contribute to nursing home resident neglect.

Other contributing factors include:

• Physical contact between residents and staff
• Shortage of COVID tests
• Residents sharing rooms
• Residents being transferred from hospitals and other settings
• Staff members who work in multiple facilities

You may be wondering whether it’s safe to visit your loved one in their nursing home, and the answer is that it depends on which state the nursing home is in. If you’re in South Carolina, updated guidelines from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) are allowing outdoor visitation as facilities based on a few key factors.

A facility’s ability to allow visitation depends on:

• How many cases of COVID the facility has
• The facility’s staffing capabilities and PPE availability
• The facility’s ability to comply with testing requirements

OUTDOOR VISITATION GUIDELINES

According to DHEC guidelines, outdoor visitation is allowed as long as there haven’t been any COVID cases in the facility within the last 14 days. Unfortunately, due to strict guidelines, your visiting time will be limited to 15 minutes unless you can provide documentation of a negative test result within the last five days or a positive antibody test that was performed in the last 30 days.

Other visitor rules include:

• Only two visitors can see a resident at one time
• Visitors must be 12 years old or older
• Children must be accompanied by a guardian
• Visitors must wear surgical face masks over the mouth and nose for the duration of the visit and maintain social distancing
• Visitors must be screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and must comply with a temperature check
• Visitors must use alcohol-based hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the outdoor area

CALL US AFTER NURSING HOME NEGLECT

Bostic Law Group, P.A. is always on the side of everyday people and victims of abuse, including people who have been injured or abused in nursing homes. When you select a nursing home for your loved one, you entrust the home’s staff with their care and expect your family member to be treated with respect and compassion. It can be painful, then, when you discover that your loved one has been harmed by neglect.

Nursing home neglect can take many forms and doesn’t just include abuse at the hands of caregivers. Neglect can involve malnutrition and dehydration, bedsores, overmedication, and any injuries or illness that result from less than adequate care. Your family doesn’t have to suffer in silence – our law firm is ready to help you pursue justice and secure the compensation you deserve.

Contact our team online or by phone at (843) 350-9646 for a legal consultation if you or someone you love has been injured or abused in South Carolina. We can get started on your case today.

Car accidents can happen out of nowhere and end as quickly as they begin. Immediately after an auto accident, you may find yourself sitting in your vehicle without understanding what just happened.

MEMORY LOSS AFTER CAR ACCIDENT

While it’s normal for victims of car accidents to not have a full grasp of the details of their accident and injuries, it’s certainly not normal to have no recollection of the accident at all. This level of memory loss may be an indication of a serious brain injury.

This type of brain injury can worsen over time if left untreated. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical in preventing permanent damage that can transform your life. If you or a loved one can’t recall your car accident in the hours or days after it occurs, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately.

WHAT IS A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY?

Amnesia after a car accident may be a symptom of what is known as a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is a debilitating injury that results from trauma to the head. About 1.7 million Americans suffer from TBIs every year, with over 70,000 experiencing long-term disabilities as a result.

If you are unable to recall your accident, chances are you may be unable to recall other memories and may have trouble recalling things in the future, too. Both short-term and long-term memory loss can negatively impact a person’s life, and seeking prompt medical attention is the best way to have a fighting chance at recovering.

WHY DON’T PEOPLE WITH MEMORY LOSS SEEK TREATMENT?

One of the challenging aspects of memory loss is that symptoms are often subjective. While it’s obvious to know whether your leg is broken or you’ve experienced a spinal cord injury, memory loss and TBIs aren’t as easily identified, and as a result, countless car accident victims fail to seek treatment.

If you’ve experienced any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately for a diagnosis:

• Difficulty concentrating or unable to focus on work
• Feeling confused and unable to organize your memories or thoughts
• Clouded and foggy thinking

There are three main types of memory loss to be aware of. The most common form of memory loss is called anterograde amnesia, which can cause victims to lose all memories of events that occur in their lives after the car accident and other symptoms like confusion and lack of focus. Post-traumatic amnesia occurs when victims can’t remember what happened immediately after the accident and is associated with “blackouts.” Retrograde amnesia is when victims lose memories that were formed prior to the car accident.

GETTING YOU THE HELP YOU NEED

What can be especially difficult about experiencing memory loss is that if you’re unable to recall your accident, it will be harder to file a personal injury claim against the driver responsible. Having hard evidence like crash reports, witness statements, and photos of the accident scene and damages is essential in supporting a claim so you don’t miss your opportunity to recover damages like medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering.

Bostic Law Group, P.A. is here to help you file your claim and protect your rights to financial compensation from negligent drivers and insurance companies. Our attorneys know what evidence to look out for that can prove liability and get you the help you need. Treating traumatic brain injuries can be expensive and require thousands of dollars in emergency costs as well as future costs – we take all of this into consideration when calculating just how much your case is worth.

Contact our team online or by phone at (843) 350-9646 for a legal consultation regarding your injuries after an auto accident. Brain and head injuries are serious and can impact your finances as well as the rest of your life – we can help you heal and work towards a secure future.

After you’ve been injured in an accident and have called for medical attention, it’s always a good idea to report your accident to the authorities, and beyond that, it’s the law. In many states where car accidents result in injuries, death, or damages exceeding $1,000, drivers are legally obligated to contact highway patrol or the police and file a written report. When you call 911 and an officer arrives at the scene, they’re required to make an official report of the incident and have both parties on file.

This report, which is also known as a crash report, is filed with the officer’s law enforcement office. If you wish to file a claim against the driver who caused your injuries and recover damages, the crash report is considered helpful evidence that can support your claim.

The contents of a crash report include:

• The date, time, and location of the collision
• Citations and/or violations of law
• Information for parties involved in the car accident, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and insurance information
• Information for witnesses
• Diagram of the accident
• Location of damage to the vehicles involved in the accident
• Weather, roadway, and lighting conditions at the scene
• Statements from the parties and witnesses

After you’ve reported your accident to the police, you also have 24 hours from the time of your injury to report your accident to your insurance company. After you’ve called your insurance company, you should then hire a personal injury attorney who can get started on your case. One of the main reasons why it’s best for your case to get started quickly is that some important evidence can disappear within the first 24 hours. All car accident claims have a limited timeframe to be filed as well, and you don’t want to miss out on collecting compensation simply because you waited too long to file a claim.

MILLIONS RECOVERED FOR OUR CLIENTS

Though many drivers think they can navigate their car accident claims on their own after a car accident and believe they can trust insurance companies to give them the compensation they’re entitled to, it doesn’t take long for them to realize that navigating the legal system successfully isn’t simple. Insurance companies don’t have policyholders’ best interests in mind, despite what some people think, and will deploy a variety of tactics to avoid having to pay victims. With a car accident attorney by your side who is passionate about protecting your rights, you don’t have to worry whether you’re being taken advantage of or if your claim is being undermined.

At Bostic Law Group, P.A., our team can thoroughly investigate your accident and injuries and determine just how much you’re able to recover under the law. Once we come to a settlement amount that works for you, we work tirelessly to support your claim through gathering evidence, from witness statements to medical records and crash reports. Your future is bright with our team guiding you.

Contact our team online or by phone at (843) 350-9646 for a legal consultation after your car accident. At Bostic Law Group, P.A., our car accident attorneys have more than 20 years of experience serving clients who have suffered injuries both minor and catastrophic.

Car accidents occur all the time in South Carolina, and unfortunately the number has been increasing steadily over the years. In 2015, a record 133,961 accidents occurred in the state, a 31.5% increase from 2011, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS).

There are countless different ways cars can get into accidents, though many take place at busy intersections. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 40% of the 5.8 million reported accidents in the U.S. in 2013 were intersection-related crashes.

The most common accident that occurs at an intersection is known as a T-bone collision. A T-bone, or right-angle, accident occurs when one vehicle crashes into the side of another, often causing serious injuries to the person sitting on the side of the vehicle hit. Common injuries suffered in these accidents include broken bones, spinal cord and neck injuries, and head and brain trauma – injuries that can be costly to treat and can be permanent.

HOW DO T-BONE ACCIDENTS HAPPEN & WHO IS AT FAULT?

Many people may be wondering who can be found responsible for damages in a T-bone accident, but like all accidents, some investigation and evidence is needed to make a judgment, as no two accidents are the same.

According to the NHTSA, most T-bone accidents are caused by human error, or negligence, and these errors include:

• Distracted driving
• Misjudging the speed of an oncoming vehicle
• Not looking before turning
• Turning with an obstructed view
• Illegal maneuvers

Because T-bone accidents tend to happen when one car is attempting a left turn, it’s common to assume that the car who impacted the other car is held liable. However, this isn’t always the case. For example, if the turning car did not have the right of way and should have waited for oncoming traffic to pass before attempting a turn, they can be held responsible for damage that is done to the car.

It’s important to note, however, that South Carolina is a comparative fault state, meaning that injured individuals found to be partly at fault for their accident can have the amount of compensation impacted. If you were found to be 20% at fault for your accident in a claim for $100,000, the most you’d be able to recover is $80,000. This is why it’s important that you hire an attorney who can get to work building your case so you have the best chance at recovering what you deserve after being injured.

COMMITTED TO SERVING OUR SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY

Bostic Law Group, P.A. is a Charleston-based law firm that has spent the last two decades helping injured members in our community. We’re pleased to offer a wide range of services to help as many injured clients as possible, and we have ample experience handling and settling car accident claims. Our experience has given us the opportunity to work on a variety of car accident claims and fight for our clients’ right to compensation.

Common types of car accident cases we’ve seen include:

• Distracted driving accidents
• Drunk driving accidents
• Fatigued driving
• Intersection accidents
• Rideshare accidents
• Rear-end accidents
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist accidents

When you’ve been injured by another driver, you want to entrust your case to a law firm that is known for its long track record of success, like our firm. Having handled a number of T-bone accident cases in our time as a firm, we know what evidence to look for and how we can protect your rights so you can secure the maximum amount of compensation available.

Injured in a car accident? You can turn to the caring and experienced car accident attorneys at Bostic Law Group, P.A. and call us for a legal consultation at (843) 350-9646, or contact us online. You don’t have to worry about paying us a cent until we win.