Navigating Your Car Accident Case in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Holding Reckless Drivers Accountable Starts Here

If youʼve been living in Mount Pleasant, on the islands, or anywhere in the Charleston area for a decent amount of time, you know how bad traffic can get. South Carolina has some of the worst roads, worst traffic, and some pretty terrible drivers (many are drunk drivers or aggressive out-of-state drivers).

On average, 3 people die every day on South Carolina roads, with collisions occurring almost every 4 minutes. Charleston County is particularly bad–about 50 people are killed in traffic accidents here every year. During holiday weekends, the numbers get even worse with a traffic fatality occurring about every 5 hours.

Heavy traffic on a multi-lane highway is a hotspot for truck accidents

It’s Not Your Fault Charleston Roads Are Dangerous

Driving in South Carolina is far more dangerous than in other states. Our elected officials haven’t done enough to make our roads safer in years and these days the only effective means of holding negligent drivers responsible is through the legal process.

You see it on I526 with trucks speeding to and from the port, during rush hour on I26 and the Ravenel Bridge, or pretty much anywhere along Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant from the bridge to Carolina Park when our roads turns into a racetrack several times a day. Traffic jams on the IOP Connector in the summer or drivers cruising on Middle Street in Sullivan’s Island too busy looking for a parking spot to notice the people around them. Or just about anytime you try to make a left turn onto Highway 41.

Late nights are worse and some of the deadliest driving accidents in Charleston happen between 9pm to midnight. Coleman Boulevard along Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant can be a particularly dangerous place to be driving on the weekends with so many people out drinking.

A Plan to Get You Through The Legal Process

Youʼre probably reading this because you are trying to find the best car accident lawyer to help you get through the legal and insurance process. You’re in the right place. If you have questions about what to do next, just give me a quick call–Iʼve been helping people in situations like this and can guide you on what to do next. Iʼve handled enough car accident cases to know the tactics insurance companies sometime use to minimize payouts to seriously injured people. And I can help get you the money they owe you for what they took from you when you or your loved one was hurt.

Take my client on James Island, clinical pharmacist who was rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver after dropping off a donation at the Goodwill. The insurance company would only offer her $5700 for her injuries until we litigated her personal injury claim and got it settled for $250,000.00. She didnʼt want to have to hire a lawyer, but the insurance adjuster left her and her family no choice given her injuries.

Thatʼs the story of a lot of my clients – they are not litigious people at all but, more importantly, they are not the type to let an irresponsible person get away with hurting them and their family.

Accountability still means something around here — and that’s what we’ll bring to the at-fault party when we work together on your case.

What to Expect When You Work With Colin Ram Law

I only accept select personal injury cases, and every one is unique. So is my approach. I’ve handled a number of personal injury cases where the NTSB was brought in to investigate. The approach taken in those major injury and fatality cases is very similar to the approach I use in car accident cases, because determining the root cause of the collision and why it happened is critical to holding the negligent party responsible for what they did to you. Whether you were rear-ended at a stop light, hit by a speeding or drunk driver, or involved in a truck accident, a motorcycle accident, injured in a bicycle accident, or hit as a pedestrian crossing the street, the chain of events that led to the moment you or your loved one was hurt likely started well ahead of the collision.

I visit the scene of every collision and dig into the details of what was going on inside the negligent driver’s car to ensure you discover the truth. When you retain me as your accident attorney, hereʼs how Iʼll help you:

Map of South Carolina highways and routes

Full Investigation: I donʼt just rely on the police report of the accident (although itʼs a piece of the puzzle). The reality is that police officers have limited time and capacity to fully investigate every car crash. So weʼll visit the scene, gather eyewitness accounts, talk to investigators, download vehicle black box data, review available video footage, and work with accident reconstruction experts if needed. I leave nothing to chance–I have spent hours knocking on doors in cold and rainy weather to track down and locate evidence and key witnesses that investigators never knew existed.

Understanding Your Medical Needs: A big mistake people make after a crash is minimizing the severity of their injuries. They may resist getting medical care and medical attention because they hope the injuries will heal on their own or they don’t have a primary care physician to call. This is common with good parents who have to prioritize work and taking care of their families after an injury. But the reality is that some injuries donʼt show up right away or worsen over time. Thatʼs why I will work closely with you and your doctors to get a clear picture of your current and future medical needs and to make sure your medical records provide the proper level of detail to support your claim for damages. From physical therapy to surgeries to long-term life- long care, we will make sure nothing is overlooked. In serious injury cases, I’ll bring in life care planners, vocational experts, and economists to document and detail your injuries and to provide expert testimony of the financial losses you suffered because of the collision.

Trial Ready: Some cases simply need to be tried before a jury for you to get a fair result and to effect change. Other cases can be settled for full value without a trial. But the truth is, in order to get the best result for your case, it must be prepared as if it is one of the few cases that will be presented to a jury. This is why it is critical to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer who is not afraid to take the defendant to trial.

Dealing with Insurance Companies: Insurance companies are billion-dollar corporations that profit by collecting more money in premiums from customers than they pay out in injury claims to people and families who have been hurt. There is nothing wrong with that business model if they can do it responsibly, but the reality today is that many insurance adjusters are under pressure to get you to settle your case quickly for far less money than whatʼs fair. I understand what types of evidence these adjusters cannot ignore, how to properly present evidence of your injuries and medical expenses to support your claim, what insurance supervisors want to see in the claim file before they will authorize paying you more settlement money after a claim is initially denied, and the pressure points all insurers have under South Carolina bad faith insurance laws. I am fully prepared to push back hard against insurance companies if they try to pay you less than you are owed.

Clear Communication and Guidance: From our first meeting (yes, you can actually meet with me at my office in Mt. Pleasant and not just speak with a non-attorney call center rep), we will go over what you can expect, any potential challenges in your case, and our plan to fully resolve your legal claim. Youʼll get regular updates so youʼre never left wondering about the status of your case or how to handle issues that come up during your recovery. My clients are glad they hired me because I take their concerns seriously and treat them the same as I do my own family.

Case Results

$3,000,000+

Drunk Driver case brought against a Charleston bar that massively overserved a drunk patron, who then drove away and collided head on with another car, killing the mother of an infant and toddler.

$1,500,000

Commercial vehicle case brought on behalf of two out-of-state visitors who were seriously injured while riding aboard a resort-operated bus that crashed.

$250,000

Hit and Run case brought a driver who rear ended a mother driving home after dropping off a donation at Goodwill, then racing away and leaving her in significant pain.

What Financial Damages Can You Recover in a Car Accident Case?

A car accident case is about more than covering immediate bills—itʼs about restoring your life to where it was before the reckless driver caused your accident. In fact, your right to bring this claim is rooted in our Constitution–holding others accountable in court for what they took away from your life is the bedrock of the Seventh Amendment.

An important question many people are reluctant to ask is, “How much is my personal injury case worth?” They simply want to know whether the outcome will be worth the effort of bringing a case. To help answer this question, here are some categories of damages that we will work to recover for you:

Medical Costs: medical bills for ER visits, medical imaging like MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays, surgeries, physical therapy, chiropractic care, prescription medications, out-of- pocket deductibles, and any future care you may need. Under South Carolina law, you can recover the full amount of what was billed for your medical treatment, not just your portion of the payment.

Lost Income: If your injuries keep you out of work, or limit the type of work you can do, weʼll seek the earnings youʼve lost and any future earnings you may be at risk of losing.

Pain and Suffering: Injuries go beyond the physical. Your quality of life has taken a hit, and the physical pain and suffering and the emotional distress this accident is imposing on your life cannot be minimized or overlooked. For me, one of the most important aspects of advocating for you is to understand the full impact this accident has had on your life.

Property Damage: The full cost to repair or replace your vehicle and the personal property inside of your car should be accounted for.

Punitive Damages: In cases of recklessness—like DUI—we will seek additional damages to hold the responsible party to higher accountability and to punish them for what they did to you and your family.

Loss of Services to Your Family: Also known as a loss of consortium claim, you may recovery money if your spouse has to outsource the work and support you normally provide at home due to your injuries.

Survival Damages: When the collision killed a loved one, South Carolina law allows your loved one’s estate to bring a lawsuit for the conscious pain and suffering they may have experienced prior to death.

Wrongful Death Damages: The sudden death of a loved one in a collision is by far one of the most devastating losses any family can experience. I have represented mothers and fathers who have lost their children in drunk driving and high speed collisions, and minor children who have lost their mother or father to someone’s recklessness. No amount of money can properly compensate families for losing a loved one, but South Carolina law entitles you to seek payment from the negligent party and their insurance company to help offset the emotional suffering of losing a parent, spouse, or child.

What if the At-Fault Driver Is Uninsured or Underinsured?

Being hit by a driver without insurance—or without enough insurance—can feel like a dead end, but youʼre not out of options. Even if the party responsible for the collision is uninsured or underinsured, there still may be options for you. Many people donʼt realize that their own auto insurance policy may include coverage for accidents caused by uninsured and underinsured drivers, which in my experience are some of the worst drivers in South Carolina. This coverage is designed to protect you when the person responsible for your injuries doesn’t have the money to pay for the damage they caused you.

One of the first things we will do is review your own insurance policy to make sure we tap into every available resource to get you whatʼs fair. We will also investigate whether the negligent driver responsible for your accident was driving for work-related reasons—if so, the driverʼs employer may have more insurance coverage available to pay for your damages.

Iʼll start by examining your policy in detail to determine how much coverage you have and then pursue every available avenue to ensure your losses are fully addressed. This means working directly with your insurance company to properly file a claim under this coverage.

Insurance companies can sometimes complicate these claims by delaying payments or downplaying the extent of your injuries. For example, if you didn’t see a doctor immediately after a collision, they may argue that your injuries are not serious. And if you wait even a few days after the collision to get treatment (in hopes that the pain would subside), the insurance company may argue that some other event caused your injuries.

Iʼm here to make sure youʼre not left shouldering the financial burden that someone else caused.

Types of Car Accident Cases I Handle

Colin Ram Law represents clients in a wide range of car accidents and crashes in Mount Pleasant and across South Carolina:

Wrongful death / fatal collisions
Drunk driving accidents
Distracted driver collisions
Reckless driving accidents
Collisions caused by Police and Emergency Vehicles
Collisions caused by hit-and-run drivers
Rear end collisions
Motorcycle accidents
Trucking and 18-wheeler accidents
School bus and passenger bus accidents
Interstate accidents
Bicycle accidents caused by drivers
Pedestrians struck by vehicles
Out-of-state and foreign visitors and tourists injured in South Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a motor vehicle accident?

In South Carolina, for most cases you generally have 3 years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit (two years if the accident was caused by a government vehicle and there are other important exceptions). This is known as the statute of limitations. Although two to three years might sound like plenty of time, building a strong case takes time, and the sooner we start, the better. As time goes by, evidence like video footage and documents can disappear and witnesses’ memories fade, which is all the more reason to not delay in reaching out to an experienced car accident lawyer. In my cases, I typically access and preserve available traffic camera footage within 24 hours of a client retaining me as their attorney. And when necessary I will send out an investigator to track down video from privately owned cameras (such security cameras from local businesses and neighborhood doorbell cameras).

Should I talk to the other driverʼs insurance company?

No. While you should immediately report the accident to your insurance company online or in your app, in my experience, it is never a good idea to speak on the phone with an insurance adjuster or sign anything before speaking with a car accident attorney. The insurance company may ask you questions about the collision you are not prepared to answer at that moment, or even ask you to give a recorded statement on the spot. They may use leading questions to get you to agree to inaccurate facts that could limit your recovery. And these statements can be used against you later when they justify offering a lowball settlement or if your case goes to court. While I’ve worked with plenty of good adjusters who don’t play games, I’ve also run into plenty of adjusters who believe that minimizing your losses is their professional gain. So Iʼll handle the communications and negotiations for you.

How much does it cost to retain Colin Ram Law?

My law firm handles car accident cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing out-of-pocket unless and until I get you a recovery. My attorney’s fees are straightforward: 1/3 of what we recover for you pre-suit, and 40% of what we recover if you case gets filed in court, plus out-of-pocket case expenses. Most South Carolina personal injury attorneys charge the same, so it is to your advantage to hire the best one for your case. Why? An experienced personal injury attorney can marshal the best evidence in your case to justify a high recovery, and find any hidden sources of insurance coverage, which will result in a better outcome for you.

What steps should I take after a car accident?

I recommend that all of my personal injury clients keep a written timeline of events, because in six months or a year from now those small but important details will begin to fade. This includes recording the names and phone numbers of any witnesses, photographs of your vehicle damage and close-ups of bodily injuries, a log of all doctor visits and treatments, a list of all daily activities that you can no longer do because of your injuries (such as playing with your kids), and dates that you missed work. Just record it all in a notebook or word document labeled “Notes for my attorney.” At the same time, I recommend that my personal injury clients do not post anything about the car accident on social media.

Do I really need a lawyer for a “minorˮ accident?

Maybe not. If you have no physical injuries, never sought medical treatment, and have only minor damage to your car, it may be overkill to hire an attorney to assist you with a basic insurance claim. But keep in mind that even a minor car accident can cause injuries that worsen over time. Neck and back injuries, for instance, may not feel bad initially and you may hope they heal naturally, but these types of injuries can have lasting effects requiring long-term physical therapy or even disc fusion surgery. So be sure you are injury free if you choose not to use an attorney. And if you are not sure what to do, itʼs worth having an experienced personal injury attorney review your case to advise you on your options and how best to protect you and your family.

What is the average settlement for a car accident in South Carolina?

No two cases are alike so there is no straightforward answer to this question (and beware of anyone who promises you a hard number). Settlements can range from $10,000 on the low end to millions of dollars on the high end. Remember, settlements are based on how much money the negligent driver and his/her insurance company actually agree to pay the injured party, so the amount of insurance coverage and assets of the driver will largely determine the amount of any settlement. Which is why I urge friends and family to get high limits for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on their car insurance policies. While you may hear about high jury verdicts in hard-fought and well-deserved cases, remember that jury verdicts do not necessarily represent how much money the injured party received after trial–if there was little to no money to pay a multi-million dollar jury verdict, then the injured party received little to no recovery in that case.

How Colin Ram Law Can Help with Your Car Accident Case

My goal is simple: to help get you back where you were prior to the accident financially and to hold the driver responsible for your accident accountable so it doesnʼt happen again. Hereʼs what you should consider when researching the best personal injury lawyer for your case:

Experience: I have years of experience handling fatal and serious injury car accident cases in Mount Pleasant and the surrounding Charleston area. So if you are in Charleston, Isle of Palms, Sullivanʼs Island, Awendaw, James Island, Folly Beach, Goose Creek, North Charleston, Summerville, Nexton, or Daniel Island or near any of those places, give me a call.

Personal Attention: When you hire me as your lawyer, you will have direct access to me and receive one-on-one attention from start to finish. Unlike larger law firms with call centers staffed by non-lawyers, when you contact Colin Ram Law you can speak with me directly about your case.

No Out-of-Pocket Legal Fees: I accept cases on a contingency fee basis, which means our interests are aligned together. Under a contingency fee agreement, you donʼt pay any upfront attorney’s fees or retainers when hiring my law firm. Instead, Colin Ram Law only gets paid if you win at trial or settle your case. This fee is a percentage of the total money recovered for you, so if you donʼt recover any money, you wonʼt owe us anything for legal fees.

Call Or Message Colin Ram Law Today To Discuss Your Legal Options

If you’ve been injured car accident and are looking for a competent car accident attorney to help you navigate your options and reach a favorable settlement, please reach out to me to discuss your options. Call or text me at 843-278-7000 or fill out the form below for a complementary strategy call.

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Give me a call and we can talk about your options. We can have a complimentary strategy session to answer your questions, discuss your concerns, and put together a plan to get you through the process.

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COLIN RAM LAW, LLC

941 Houston Northcutt Blvd.
Suite 203
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
843-278-7000 | colin@sctrial.com

PRACTICE AREAS

Wrongful Death
Drunk Driving Injuries
Car Accident Injuries
Workplace Injuries
ERISA Disability Appeals
Dog Bite Injuries
Civil Rights

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DISCLAIMER – No attorney-client relationship has been established unless and until you have entered into a written agreement with this office. The information contained in this website is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Case results listed here include cases Colin handled at other firms as lead counsel prior to starting Colin Ram Law, LLC. The results Colin achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained in other cases. All cases will be handled from the Mt. Pleasant, SC office located in Charleston County, South Carolina.