South Carolina Catastrophic Injury Attorney

The attorneys at Patrick, Lewis, & Watts understand the difficulties of working with victims and families of victims of catastrophic injuries. The cases are not easy to handle because of the amount of emotion involved, especially when loved ones become caregivers. We go out of our way to answer any questions you have about your case and to get to know you and your family.

Additionally, we have the financial backing to handle your case. Catastrophic injury cases can be expensive – too expensive for an accident victim to handle. For example, in brain injury cases, if a neuro-psych evaluation is necessary or if your lost income warrants hiring an economist, these experts could cost tens of thousands of dollars, depending on your circumstances. Right off the bat, that’s a significant amount of expense for an accident victim who is not working has to come up with until the insurance company pays.

Every state, including South Carolina, has a statute of limitations that dictates how long you have to take legal action against someone who caused you harm. In general, you must take legal action within three years of the time you suffered injuries because of the negligence of another person. These cases include:

• Vehicle accidents
• Premises liability
• Product liability
• Medical malpractice
• Wrongful death

* In some types of cases the statute of limitations time period is less than 2 years.

Catastrophic injuries have three common characteristics:

• The Severity of the Damage: A catastrophic injury causes more damage than other injuries. Your life – and the lives of your loved ones – can be changed permanently. Accident victims might require assistance with their daily living activities. Some people with catastrophic injuries have a full-time medical caregiver.
• Recovery Time: The recovery time for regular injuries is much less than the recovery time for catastrophic injuries. Recovery time varies depending on the person and the severity of the injury.
• Sustained Trauma: Catastrophic injuries can cause severe trauma to accident victims. Adding the trauma to the injury increases the recovery time. You may need medication, counseling, therapy, and medical supervision.

You must be able to prove the at-fault person was negligent to recover damages in most personal injury cases. Each state also has its own laws that deal with fault. A South Carolina law firm can review your case and let you know if you can recover damages. To prove negligence in South Carolina, you must show:

• The defendant – the person or entity that caused your injuries – has a duty of care to you. For example, another driver has a duty of care to drive in a reasonably safe manner consistent with SC law.
• The defendant breached that duty. A driver can breach the duty of care by speeding, driving aggressively, or breaking other traffic laws.
• There is a connection between the defendant’s conduct and the injuries you suffered.
• The injuries were a proximate cause to the defendant’s actions. In other words, you would not have suffered the injuries if not for the defendant’s actions or inactions.
• You suffered damages because of the defendant’s actions.

You can recover compensatory damages and, in some cases, punitive damages in a South Carolina personal injury case.

Yes, you can recover non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, in South Carolina.

Third-degree burns can be considered catastrophic as they affect all three skin layers, damaging body tissue and muscles. Third-degree burns not only cause scarring, but you may need skin grafting. Even with skin grafting, you may have a disfigurement.

While not all spinal cord injuries are catastrophic, those that cause serious injuries and various forms of paralysis, including quadriplegia and paraplegia, are considered catastrophic. Spinal cord injuries can affect your strength and sensations. The type of paralysis caused depends on where the spinal cord injury is, whether in the cervical, thorax, or lumbar regions.