John Maher:  Hi, I’m John Maher. Today, I’m here with Russell Guest and Richard Allen of Guest and Brady, a personal injury law firm in Greenville, South Carolina. Today, we’re going to be talking about the benefits of working with a car accident attorney in South Carolina. Russell and Richard, welcome.

Russell Guest:  Thank you, John. This is Russell, thank you for having us.

Richard Allen:  Hey, John. This is Richard, good morning, glad to be here.

How Can an Accident Victim Benefit from Working With an Auto Accident Attorney?

John:  Great. How can someone who has been injured in a car accident benefit from working with an experienced car accident attorney?

Richard:  I think, in many ways, and there are just many reasons for someone who has been injured in a car accident to talk to an attorney as soon as possible. First of all, if you’ve been involved in a car accident, you want to be able to focus on your recovery and you want to be able to focus on the day to day challenges that you’re being faced with because of your injuries, just the impact that [the accident] has on a family.

Also, you’re going to be dealing with insurance companies, [including] the at‑fault driver’s insurance company. It’s important to understand how best to communicate with them because I can tell you that [the insurance company] is not looking out for your best interest. So, you want to be sure that you’re not signing documents that could perhaps prejudice your claim. You also need to be treating immediately. There doesn’t need to be any gaps in treatment, because that’s one thing the insurance company will try to use against you.

[An attorney] can certainly provide guidance as to where you need to be treated depending upon your injuries and if specialists are required, then we would certainly be able to help with directing you towards those types of providers.

Challenges Ahead for Auto Accident Victims

John:  What are some of the biggest challenges facing someone who is injured in an auto accident in South Carolina?

Russell:  The first is really just understanding the car insurance laws in South Carolina, because those can be complex and they can vary as far as which ones you want to pay attention to depending upon the type of accident that it is. Like many different professions and skills that people have, if you’ve been in an accident, typically you’re not in them all the time, so you just don’t deal with them all the time.

A lot of people don’t know how to maneuver and navigate the insurance laws simply because they just don’t have an opportunity to deal with it, not that they couldn’t. If they did, that’s why an attorney that has experience with car accidents is the best person to talk to. Same as if I were going to be working on my house, I would not want myself to be doing it to do a major retrofit of it.

I would be wanting to talk to someone who is skilled and experienced in that, not that I couldn’t take the time to do it, but it would certainly be easier, more productive and better resolved if I’m working with someone who has experience in that particular skill or issue.

The insurance laws can be different, as I said, in regards to the type of accident you might be in. It might be the difference between an automobile accident or a hit and run accident where a person who leaves the scene of an accident. [You need to know] how to identify those people and how to actually make the claim with your insurance company with their specific rules and requirements for that type of accident.

With an accident that involves a tractor trailer, there is a different set of rules and requirements that we want to follow in order to maximize the recovery that you’ll get. There are many reasons that you want to consult with an experienced car accident attorney, and the complexity of the insurance laws is the most important.

South Carolina Car Accident Injury Laws

John:  As car accident attorneys in South Carolina, are there unique aspects of the state personal injury laws that you have had to deal with recently?

Richard:  John, yes. First of all, whether you’re involved in a car accident, a tractor‑trailer accident, or a motorcycle accident, if you’re going to be dealing with an insurance adjuster for the at‑fault driver’s insurance company, I can assure you that, early on, they are going to ask you about providing a recorded statement.

They’re going to present it to you in a way where you feel as if you have no choice that it’s something you must do. That’s just not necessarily so. That’s another reason why it’s important to have an attorney involved, because if you were to give that recorded statement, you might say things that could harm your case or could prejudice your case down the road.

Also, the types of coverages that are available. We’ve actually got a case going right now that involves what’s called a “meaningful offer.” You don’t want to make assumptions that you know about all the coverages that are there, and the insurance companies, your insurance company is required to make what’s called a “meaningful offer.” If they don’t, then there could be additional coverages available.

I think the take‑away point is, don’t assume that you know all the various coverages. It’s a very complex area of the law, so it’s important to have an experienced car accident attorney helping you with your case.

Russell:  Let me just add to that, John, if a meaningful offer in that particular situation that we have going on was not made, then we can improve and increase the amount of coverage that’s available to an individual so that they recover far more dollars than they would have without exploring this possibility.

John:  That’s really great information. It certainly seems like there is a lot of issues that you have to deal with, as you said, types of insurance, coverage, these meaningful offers. There’s just so many different things that somebody has to think about when they’re in a car accident that it’s really worthwhile to get some advice from an experienced car accident attorney like yourselves. Thanks again for speaking with me today.

Russell:  Thank you, John.

Richard:  Thanks, John.

John:  For more information about Guest and Brady, visit their website at guestbrady.com or call 800‑903‑8101 or 864‑233‑7200.