What is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
To become an attorney in the State of South Carolina, an individual would have to obtain a bachelor’s degree, obtain a Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school, and pass the South Carolina Bar Exam. Upon passing the bar exam, an attorney can pursue and gain work experience in any specific area of the law. Personal injury law is a type of civil law; meaning one private party is suing another. A personal injury lawyer provides legal services to individuals and entities who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence of another person, company, government agency or an entity.
What Kind of Cases Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Handle?![]()
A personal injury lawyer is able to handle several different types of cases and below you will find general information regarding each of those areas.
- Motor vehicle accident: These are legal matters arising from an individual being injured or suffering property damage due to a collision involving a motor vehicle, such as a car, truck, or motorcycle, with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or stational object.
- Medical malpractice: These are personal injury matters when a patient is harmed due to a healthcare provider’s negligence. Some common medical malpractice cases are misdiagnosis, medication errors, surgical errors, and delayed diagnosis. Not all negative medical outcomes from medical treatment are malpractice. The hardest element of a medical malpractice case to prove is that the healthcare provider breached their duty of care and identifying the standard of care.
- Worker’s compensation: These are personal injury matters made by employees who are injured or become ill while working. These cases may involve medical costs, lost wages, and disability payments.
- Premises liability accidents: These are personal injury matters against a property owner for injuries that occurred on their property. The injured person must show that the property owner was negligent and that this negligence led to their injuries. Common premise liability cases include slip and fall accidents, dog bits, swimming pool accidents, and elevator and escalator accidents.
- Wrongful death actions: These are actions or cases involving the death of an individual due to another person’s negligence.
A licensed and practicing attorney is the best resource in terms of evaluating a potential personal injury matter. Every case is different and those nuances can change or dictate the outcome of a case. Because of this, it is extremely important to have an attorney thoroughly analyze the facts, evidence, and legal principles related to the incident.
