I Settled My Case on My Own, Can I Change My Mind?

Once you settle your injury case with the insurance company for responsible party, your case is over. Shelly Leeke Law Firm offers free case evaluations for Charleston and all South Carolina residents. Call 843-277-6061 today.

What Documents to Take to An Attorney Consultation for Your Accident

If you have been in an accident and have scheduled a consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney, there are several items of information that will help your attorney to better assist you when evaluating your accident case. Shelly Leeke Law Firm, offices in Mt. Pleasant and Goose Creek, Call us today, 843-277-6061.

Woman Killed in Car Crash with Wild Hog

Fatal accident involving SUV and a wild hog. The woman was propelled out of her vehicle after striking a wild hog in the roadway. Shelly Leeke Law Firm is a personal injury firm representing accident victims. We offer free books and information to Charleston and South Carolina accident victims. Call 843-277-6061.

What You Do on Facebook Will be Used Against You--- Charleston South Carolina Accident Lawyer

You could make a serious mistake in your accident case if you leave your social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, or another number of sites, open to the public for anyone to view.

What you may not know is that if you are injured in an accident and have an injury case, it is almost guaranteed that the insurance company, their agent or attorney will search these sites to find your profile. They will view your page, including your friend’s posts, your posts, your pictures and pictures other people post of you. They will gather all information they can to build their case against you. The insurance company will use the information they find to devalue your case.

They may use pictures to say that your injuries are not as serious as you claim, or use them to paint a negative picture of you. Even if your case eventually settles before court, you can bet that the insurance company will use all information it gathers from your social accounts in its effort to discount the value of your case. You may even find yourself settling for less than you would if you had NOT given them full access to your private information on your Facebook and/or social accounts. With millions of users on Facebook alone, it pays for accident and injury victims to protect their personal information by privatizing all social accounts.

The Insurance Company Offered Me Money To Settle My Accident Case, What Should I Do?

I received this question again today, one that is not uncommon in my practice of personal injury law.

A few days ago the caller was injured in an auto accident that was not his fault. Just a few days after the wreck, he got a call from the at fault driver's insurance company offering to pay his medical bills. The adjustor was very polite and told him she would pay the "reasonable" medical expenses and even give him a few hundred dollars to settle the case. Luckily, this caller had read The South Carolina Accident Book, and knew the tricks that insurance adjustor's will pull to entice injury victims to take a quick settlement. He called me to get an honest evaluation of whether or not he needed an attorney.

My opinion is this... you may not need a lawyer for your case if you are involved in a car wreck where there is little property damage and you are not hurt. However, if you are injured in an auto accident and your phone starts ringing a few days later with the adjustor offering you money, you can bet it is not because she really wants to take care of you. One of the first signs that you should look seriously at hiring an experienced injury attorney for your accident case is when the insurance company calls and offers you money.

The adjustor's job is to save the insurance company money. Adjustors get raises and bonuses based on how much money they save the insurance company by paying LESS than a case is worth. This caller did the right thing. He did not accept the quick settlement, and turns out, not surprisingly, his case is probably worth a lot more than the few hundred dollars he was offered by the adjustor.

---

Learn more about what to do if you are in a car accident!

• Order your Free copy of The South Carolina Accident Book: Avoid the Mistakes that Can Wreck Your Accident Case today!

• Contact Shelly Leeke Law Firm for a Free Consultation.

Bad Driver? Maybe You Were Born With It…

A New Study Correlates Genetics With Poor Driving Skills.

The study was published in the Cerebral Cortex Journal and says people with a certain gene variant related to activity perform far worse on driving tests than those without the gene variant.

Ordinarily, when a person performs a task, a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is secreted to the part of the brain that is associated with that activity. But, in people who have the gene variation, BDNF secretion is limited, which slows communication among brain cells and decreases memory retention.

Turns out, 30% of Americans have the gene variant. Does this explain the high number of traffic collisions in the US?

Well, maybe, but there is no data available to show whether the accident rate is higher for drivers with the gene variant. So bad driving skills,  while perhaps linked to genetics, is still no excuse for causing a car accident.

When the Economy is Down, You Should Increase Your Auto Insurance Coverage

Why Shelly Leeke Encourages You to Increase Automobile Insurance Coverage During Tough Economic Times!

Did you know that you may be hit by an uninsured driver that is legally driving on the roads without carrying automobile insurance coverage? That is correct. If you are a SouthCarolina motorist, you probably already know that South Carolina law requires motorists to provide proof of financial responsibility. Most drivers meet this requirement by buying automobile insurance. However, South Carolina drivers may qualify to legally drive without automobile insurance by paying a $550 fee to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). That fee does not provide insurance coverage, and the driver is still responsible for damages caused by their fault in an accident. But, the downside is that if you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, it will be extremely difficult to make them pay for your damages, especially if they do not have any assets or money to pay for your damages. Stayed tuned for tomorrow's post on the most important thing you can do right now to protect your family from an uninsured motorist.

Learn More About Buying Car Insurance in South Carolina!
Get a Free Report "Buying Car Insurance In South Carolina
Visit our car accident library
Contact Shelly Leeke Law Firm For a Free Insurance Policy Evaluation.

Health Insurance May Pay Your Medical Bills, Then Claim A Stake In Your Settlement

Sometimes your health insurance does not actually protect your family. If you are injured in an accident in South Carolina, your own health insurance may stake a claim to your accident and injury settlement recovery. Protect your legal rights after an auto accident by speaking with an experienced personal injury law firm today. Call 843-277-6061.