If you were hit by a commercial truck or lost a loved one in a commercial truck accident on South Carolina’s roads, our firm wants to help. We can provide you with a lawyer who knows the law and helps people like you get the financial compensation they are due.
While compensation cannot take away your injuries or bring back your loved one, it can ensure you have one less thing to worry about during this trying time. Hammack Law Firm offers a free initial consultation to explain how a South Carolina truck accident lawyer could help you seek and recover damages.
What Truck Accident Damages May Cover
To sue for damages, you must create a list of all the ways in which the accident has affected you. The list must also include how much money you believe each injury is worth. We can help you compose this list, which may include damages like the following:
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages include the physical and mental damage you sustained during or due to the accident, such as:
- Pain and suffering: The injuries that cause you to experience physical and/or psychological distress.
- Physical impairment: You could be compensated for any temporary or permanent, partial or total loss of a body part, organ, or function.
- Intellectual disability: This may include any decrease or alteration in your mental faculties caused by a head injury or a traumatic brain injury.
- Reduced quality of life: You can no longer perform enjoyable activities, like working in a garden, or essential tasks of living, like tying your shoes.
Economic Damages
If you lost or spent any money due to the accident, or if you expect to lose or spend money in the future, you could qualify for economic damages like:
- Repair expenses: The truck accident damaged your vehicle, and you had to pay to get it fixed. You may even have had to buy a new car.
- Medical costs: This could include both short-term expenses, like an emergency room visit, or long-term expenses, like assistive devices and home nursing.
- Miscellaneous bills: If you spent money on any service that you did not need before the accident, like a housekeeper or a landscaper, you could be reimbursed.
- Lost wages: You had to take time off from work to recover from your injuries.
Wrongful Death Damages
Per S.C. Ann. § 15-51-20, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit if your loved one was the victim of a commercial truck accident. The deceased’s surviving spouse and children are given first priority in such matters.
A wrongful death settlement could give you many of the damages described above. You may also qualify for:
- Loss of support: Without the income from your loved one’s job, it is difficult or impossible for you to maintain the lifestyle you are accustomed to.
- Funeral bills: Any costs associated with laying your loved one to rest, including burial or cremation expenses and estate settlement, may entitle you to damages.
- Loss of society or companionship: In addition to financial support, your loved one was an irreplaceable source of affection and emotional support.
We know how difficult it is to lose a loved one in such a sudden, unexpected way. Hammack Law Firm is sorry for your loss and would like to do everything possible to ease your family’s burden.
How Our South Carolina Law Firm Handles Truck Accident Cases
Hammack Law Firm understands how life-changing a commercial truck accident can be and that you may not be up to handling your own case at the moment. Instead of going it alone, we will assign you a lawyer who can stand up for your rights and protect other South Carolina drivers from a negligent entity. We can:
- Assess your case: Every prospective client who calls in will receive a free case evaluation at no charge or obligation. We can tell you over the phone if your case is viable.
- Collect relevant evidence: It depends on your accident’s specifics, but the evidence may include witness statements, surveillance footage, inspection reports, and more.
- Handle administrative tasks: This includes filing all necessary paperwork and notifying the liable party about your lawsuit.
- Meet with the insurance company: We can fight hard to make the insurance company pay you the appropriate settlement that meets all of your needs.
- Go to trial: We prepare every case to go to trial, and if necessary, we work to persuade a jury to award you appropriate damages.
- Provide compassionate guidance: We encourage all clients to get in touch whenever they have a question or need help making a legal decision.
Who Is Liable for Commercial Truck Accidents?
The commercial truck driver may be liable for your injuries in your South Carolina collision for a number of reasons, including if they were:
- Not driving with a valid license: Per the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV), a commercial trucker’s ability to work depends on their being medically qualified, submitting to drug tests upon request, and other factors.
- Distracted: Cell phones are a common source of distraction, but anything or anyone (e.g., a pedestrian) may cause a driver to take their attention off the road.
- Behaving irresponsibly: For example, driving under the influence of alcohol or driving too fast for conditions could qualify as reckless behavior.
In some cases, however, there may be more than one liable party, or the truck driver may not be liable at all. In such cases, you may instead be able to sue:
- The truck driver’s employer: Some employers care more about profits than employee safety and pressure drivers into reckless behavior.
- A truck or auto parts manufacturer: If a manufacturer is not careful, they could knowingly or unknowingly send unsafe products to market.
- A vehicle maintenance contractor: Both you and the truck driver rely on mechanics to keep your vehicles in good shape.
- A road maintenance contractor: Hazardous roadway conditions, including unfilled potholes or untrimmed shrubbery, may increase the risk of accidents.
Call Hammack Law Firm Today to Get Started
It is our firm’s mission to help every client get the compensation they and their families need. When you call Hammack Law Firm at (864) 326-3333, a member of our team will evaluate your case at no cost or obligation to you. If we can help, we can assign you a commercial truck accident lawyer to represent you in your South Carolina case.
Call or text 864-740-8653 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
