Socastee Truck Accident Lawyer

If you or someone you love sustained injuries in a truck accident in Socastee, S.C., near Myrtle Beach, we will help you seek financial recovery from the at-fault party. Our team can navigate your financial recovery while you heal from the accident. The damages you could recover include medical care, lost income, pain and suffering, and mental and emotional anguish.

In the aftermath of a truck accident, it can be hard to know whether to seek compensation from the driver, their employer, or the truck’s manufacturer. These accidents are typically more complex than car accidents. Hammack Law Firm truck accident lawyers will help you figure out who to sue, how to value your injuries and expenses, and develop a strategy for seeking damages. When you are ready to start, we are ready to help you take legal action. Your first consultation is free.

Traffic Collisions Happen Every 3.7 Minutes on South Carolina’s Roads

Truck accidents can happen at any time on South Carolina’s roads, including in Socastee, our unincorporated community located along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. South Carolina highways 544 and 137 run between Socastee and nearby Conway. Traffic congestion and accidents, such as this five-vehicle accident, occur on the main roads in our community, causing blockages and shutdowns.

Data from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) shows how dangerous the roads in our state can be. Per traffic collision statistics in the 2018 South Carolina Traffic Collision Fact Book, there were 84 fatal collisions involving truck tractors, and another 94 truck tractor collisions resulting in serious injuries. Also, there were 25 fatal accidents that involved other types of trucks and 270 that involved pickup trucks.

People in Smaller Vehicles Often Suffer Severe Injuries in Truck Accidents

Some of these accidents mentioned in the report may have involved people in smaller passenger vehicles, motorcycle riders, and even pedestrians, who are all at greater risk of harm in a truck accident. This is common, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which reports that most of the fatalities in truck accidents involve people in passenger vehicles.

The size and weight of trucks are significant factors in the severity of the injuries in these accidents. These larger vehicles weigh 20 to 30 times as much as passenger cars. Plus, tractor-trailers, fuel tankers, and other similar vehicles are allowed to carry up to 80,000 pounds of weight under federal law, per the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT). That’s a great deal of weight when you consider that large trucks need time and proper space to brake, stop, and make turns.

Per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a truck carrying a full load of cargo at regular highway speeds needs a distance of nearly two football fields to come to a stop.

Common Reasons Truck Accidents Happen

With trucks being among the hundreds of vehicles that travel the roads in Horry County, the possibility of getting into an accident is always there, whether the truck is a tractor-trailer truck, a tanker, a dump truck, or a moving truck.

Hammack Law Firm supports road safety, especially when it concerns large trucks. We understand that accidents do happen despite motorists’ best efforts to drive safely. Still, many collisions occur because of driver error. According to the FMCSA, the most common factors associated with truck accidents are:

• Problems with a truck’s brakes
• Traffic flow interruption (congestion, previous crash)
• Prescription drug use
• Traveling too fast for road conditions
• Not being familiar with the road the trucker is on
• Problems with the roadways
• Being required to stop before crash (such as failing to heed traffic signals or pedestrians using a crosswalk)
• Over-the-counter drug use
• Inadequate surveillance
• Tiredness

Injuries from These Accidents Can be Life-Threatening

The injuries and damages that result from these crashes can be devastating, costing people their health and well-being, their incomes, or even their lives.

• Head and neck injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Internal organ damage
• Broken or crushed bones
• Spinal cord injuries
• Soft tissue injuries (bruises, sprains, swelling)
• Chemical burns
• Respiratory problems

Any of these can require extensive recovery time, which means high medical bills and lost wages. If you have been in a truck accident in the Socastee area, we want to help you recover, no matter what caused it or why it happened. We offer a free initial consultation to get started.

Negligence in a Trucking Accident Could Entitle You to Compensation

If you were injured in a truck accident, our team can investigate the cause. With evidence that another party was responsible, we will fight hard to prove the negligence that caused the collision. That means establishing that the at-fault party:

• Owed you a duty of care
• Failed to uphold this duty
• Caused the collision because of these actions
• Caused you to suffer injuries and financial damages

By establishing negligence, we can prove your right to compensation. According to S.C. Ann § 15-32-210, you may be eligible to recover two types of financial damages: economic and non-economic. Our team will help you assess both forms of compensation.

Recouping Economic Damages

The economic damages are those that have a fixed financial value. They are easy to calculate, but it can take time and effort to gather every eligible receipt, bill, and estimate. You may be allowed to recover economic damages such as:

• Immediate and ongoing medical care
• Immediate and ongoing income loss
• Vehicle repair or replacement
• In-home medical support
• Assistive medical devices

With our team’s support, you can collect the necessary documents from each health care provider and facility where you were billed for treatment. We can also ensure you do not inadvertently accept a speedy settlement offer before your full range of expenses is known.

Assigning a Value to Your Non-Economic Damages

The non-economic damages you can seek are more challenging to calculate. Because they do not come with receipts, we help determine their value based on the extent and severity of your physical and emotional pain and suffering. Non-economic recoverable damages include:

• Physical disability and disfigurement
• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental and emotional distress

You do not have to calculate these intangible expenses on your own. We can help prove their individual values and ensure we include them when assigning a financial value to your lawsuit.

You May be Able to Recover Damages if You Lost a Loved One in a Trucking Accident

If your loved one did not survive their injuries from a truck accident in Socastee, we sincerely offer our condolences and are sorry for your loss. We consider it a privilege to represent you, and we will do everything we can to help you through this difficult time. We understand that no amount of money can make up for the loss of your loved one. However, compensation may offer some financial relief. It can help you pay you for your loved one’s:

• Funeral and burial expenses
• Final medical expenses and other outstanding debts

It can also help replace the decedent’s financial contribution to the household and offer compensation to surviving relatives who must now live without the deceased’s guidance and support. We are ready to help you file a wrongful death lawsuit when you are ready.

We Will Determine Who Caused Your Truck accident in Socastee

Proving who’s responsible for causing your accident can make or break your case for damages. Hiring legal representation to carry out this task can help. Trucking accidents are complex matters because more than one party can be responsible for the crash.

Also, more than one contributing factor can be determined to have caused the accident. The driver could be only one of several liable parties. Others who could be responsible are:

• The company that owns the truck
• The company that employs the driver
• The company responsible for loading the vehicle
• The company that performs maintenance and repairs on the vehicle
• The parts manufacturer
• The vehicle’s manufacturer
• Another motorist involved in the accident

As you can see, naming all parties in a lawsuit can become challenging, especially without the help of an attorney to navigate the process.

Protecting Evidence in a Truck Accident Case

In addition to investigating your accident, we will look at all the evidence you have, seek out additional proof, and send the trucking company a spoliation letter. This letter demands that the company preserve critical evidence that could support your case for damages. Among this evidence can be:

• The maintenance records of the truck involved in the accident
• Onboard computer data from the truck
• Video from the truck driver’s dashcam
• The truck driver’s work history and training records
• Records of company violations
• Data from an event data recorder (EDR)

Trucking companies and their insurance companies can deny liability for their role in an accident, so we need this evidence to remain intact, as it will strengthen your case. This is one reason we encourage you to seek legal representation as soon as possible after an accident.

Experience the Hammack Law Firm Advantage

When our lawyers help you build your Socastee truck accident case, we do so with a client-focused approach. We make sure you get small firm personal care with big firm legal experience.

To make sure we provide you and your case the time and attention you need, we:

• Treat you like we treat friends and family
• Bring a humanizing touch to the personal injury legal process
• Hold negligent parties accountable for their actions
• Fight for favorable financial compensation

We are committed to pursuing the compensation you need for the at-fault party’s negligence and make South Carolina a safer place for everyone. Our team will evaluate your case and help you seek compensation at no upfront cost to you. In fact, if you do not win your case, we will not charge you any fees.

Let Our Team Negotiate a Financial Settlement for You

The settlement negotiation process can be complex and time-consuming. Our team helps by:

• Compiling and presenting evidence
• Assigning a value to your lawsuit
• Negotiating for a favorable settlement
• Taking your case to trial if need be

While the decision to accept or reject a settlement is always yours to make, we help you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each monetary offer you receive. Our goal is to ensure you are not left with out-of-pocket expenses due to someone else’s negligence.

We Protect Your Right to File a Lawsuit

For our clients, we put in the time to build a case that is ready to go to court. After a truck accident in Socastee, you are entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit for compensation. Your right to seek compensation through a lawsuit is generally limited to three years, according to S.C. Ann § 15-3-530. This statute applies to your potential:

• Personal injury lawsuit
• Wrongful death lawsuit

We encourage you to contact our team immediately to ensure your case is filed in time to meet the state’s deadline. If the statute of limitations expires, you may not be able to file a lawsuit at all, or it may be dismissed without ever being considered by the court. If that happens, the at-fault party will not have to compensate you, and the costs of the accident will come out of your own pocket.

Client Satisfaction is the Hallmark of Our Service

When our team is on your side, we support you through every aspect of your recovery. We focus on your lawsuit so that you can focus on healing. The clients we fight for say:

• “Paul and the entire Hammack Law Firm operate with integrity and excellence. The firm provides a client-centered approach to the case at hand, delivering the best achievable results.” – Dr. Cameron Guida
• “Paul is very personable and reaches out to each and every one of his clients to keep them informed on their case! I give them a five-star rating!!” – Lauren Marvin
• “If I had questions, I felt like they were listened to and answered so that I would understand it. They let me know what was going on throughout the process and I won my case!” – Rachell Hayes

When we handle your case, we start by listening to you. Then, our team collects, evaluates, and submits evidence to support your fight for financial recovery.

Contact Our Case Evaluation Team Today

Are you ready to find out how our truck accident lawyers serving Socastee can help you start the compensation process with no out-of-pocket expenses? Contact our case evaluation team at Hammack Law Firm by calling (864) 326-3333(864) 326-3333 today.