How is a personal injury settlement determined?

In a South Carolina personal injury claim, your settlement may be comprised of several different types of damages. Compensatory damages are meant to help you recover what you lost in an accident, such as compensation for medical bills or lost income from missed time at work.

After an accident that results in serious or permanent injuries, you will have to work with the insurance company in order to recover any compensation for your accident. Hiring a Charleston personal injury attorney to negotiate with the insurance company is strongly advised.

An attorney is familiar with your rights as well as the negligence laws in South Carolina. If your attorney cannot negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company, they may take your personal injury claim to trial in the form of a lawsuit.

To defend the validity of your claim, your Charleston personal injury attorney may also work with different specialists. For example, your attorney may work with a financial expert to calculate your potential future damages related to lost wages if you are permanently disabled.

A medical specialist may also be called on to estimate the future cost of your medical treatments and/or rehabilitation. Any compensation you recover through a South Carolina personal injury claim will be specific to your accident and how it affected your life.

 General compensation categories include:  

• medical bills;
• lost wages;
• loss of future earning ability; and
• loss of quality of life.  

If the liable party acted in an extremely malicious manner, the court may even award punitive damages that are larger than the compensatory settlement. This is intended to deter the party from acting in a similar way in the future.

You can visit our article library to learn more about how to preserve your South Carolina personal injury claim.

Seeking the Help of a Charleston Personal Injury Attorney

If you have been injured in an accident, the South Carolina personal injury attorney team at the Shelly Leeke Law Firm is available to help you. Our firm focuses on personal injury cases, including injury from auto accidents including pedestrian and bicycle injuries, work-related injuries and Workers' Compensation claims, and injuries resulting from dangerous prescription drugs.

Before you file a South Carolina personal injury claim, request a free copy of our South Carolina injury book. When you're ready to get started on settling your accident claim, contact a Charleston personal injury attorney for a free information packet and consultation - 1-888-690-0211.