South Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

As accident attorneys in South Carolina, we come across automobile accidents resulting from many different factors. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently produced a list of the six most common causes of automobile accidents.

1. Distracted Drivers: According to the American Automobile Association, somewhere between 25 and 50 percent of all automobile crashes in the United States are a result of distracted driving. “Rubbernecking”–or slowing down to stare at another accident is the most common cause, but others include looking at scenery, other passengers, adjusting the radio, and using hand-held devices such as cell phones.

2. Driver Fatigue: According to the United States National Traffic Safety Administration, fatigued drivers cause about 100,000 accidents every year in the U.S. The risk for these types of accidents tends to be highest between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m., but they can happen at any time.

3. Drunk Driving: The only way to prevent causing this type of accident is to avoid drinking and driving. If you know you will be in a situation that will involve alcohol, it is important to choose a designated driver in advance.

Continue reading " Charleston Lawyers Want You To Be Aware of the Most Common Causes of Automobile Accidents " »

A small plane crash that took place 30 miles northwest of Charleston recently killed three men from South Carolina and one from Delaware. The men were on their way to St. Lucie County International Airport in Ft. Pierce, Florida in order to be cleared at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. From there, they were going to fly to a radio operator’s conference in the Bahamas.

The plane took off from the Dorchester County Airport and headed south. Shortly after take-off, the plane veered off course and crashed into a low-lying, thickly wooded area about 50 yards from the runway. Accidents during take-off are very rare and the cause of the crash remains unknown.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the cause of the accident. They are looking at the weather and instrumental defects as possible causes of the accident.

Source: Post & Courier “4 Killed in Deadly Crash”- October 22, 2009.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, a man was recently killed in a car accident in Jacksonville, Fl.

A black pickup truck was driving down the Interstate when it sideswiped a van and drove off without stopping to speak with the other driver. The driver of the van followed the truck so that it could give a description to the police.

According to police, the pickup truck then turned off the interstate and the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit several trees. The passenger in the truck was killed instantly in the crash, but the driver, Amber Cornelius, took off running.

The police eventually caught up with Cornelius, and she could now be facing charges of fleeing the scene of an accident causing death. The crash is still under investigation.

Source: News 4 Jax- “Crash in Mandarin Kills 1, Driver In Custody”- April 3, 2009.

Day care facilities owe a duty of reasonable care to the children they take care of. A Columbia, South Carolina day-care operator was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for negligently killing a 9-month-old baby in May 2007. Retired Army lieutenant colonel, Willie Ritter, 65, had forgotten to remove the baby, Javon Simpson, from the van after picking up the child in the morning.

Prior to this incident Ritter had a history of violating South Carolina child care laws at his day care center. In 2001 he was cited by state officials for leaving a infant unattended in a van. He was also cited for failing to maintain transportation logs n 1998 and 2003. According to court documents, he violated adult-to-child ratios on numerous occasions.

When Ritter picked up the child, her mother placed her car seat directly behind Ritter. He then picked up another child and drove to the day care center, but left Javon in the closed van, where she sat in the hot sun all day and later died. The cause of death was cardiac arrest due to hyperthermia.

It wasn’t until Ritter left to pick up children for his after-school day care program that he finally noticed that Javon was still in the van. After another child told him about the baby, he continued to pick up children before returning to the day care center. He did not take the baby to the hospital or even make any phone calls to emergency medical personnel.

Continue reading " South Carolina Day-care Operator gets 20 years for Infant’s death " »

South Carolina accident attorneys encourage drivers to take all necessary precautions when operating a motor vehicle, regardless of whether you live in the city like Charleston or the countryside like in Beaufort.

According to a new traffic accident study, driving in the city is actually much safer than in the countryside, where more car accidents occur.

Results of the study show that the risk of fatal accidents is 40% higher for the population inhabiting suburban districts than for those living in the city. For people living in the countryside, the risk of dying in traffic is two or three times as high. In rural districts, the risk of severe injury is 70-100% higher than in cities. Minor accidents with slight injuries tend to be more common in the city. These types of accidents are much more common than accidents with severe injuries or fatalities, which is probably the reason cities have a bad image for safety of driving.

Continue reading " Attention Charleston Drivers: More Traffic Accidents in Rural Regions than Cities " »

There are many dangers when boating under the influence. Driving a boat while intoxicated can often be just as dangerous if not more dangerous than driving a car while intoxicated.

For example, a man was recently charged with boating under the influence after wrecking his boat and killing a passenger on a South Carolina lake. The cigarette boat flipped on Lake Prestwood near Hartsville, S.C. The driver, John Newsome, was rescued, but the passenger, 35-year-old Deagofe Robinson did not come back to the surface after falling out of the boat. Divers later recovered Robinson’s body in the lake. Newsome was charged with boating under the influence on the scene by Department of Natural Resources officers.

Source: Live 5 News- “Fatal boat wreck on SC lake leads to charges”-October 8, 2009.

A California appeals court has ruled that an employer may be liable for personal injuries stemming from an executive’s car crash. The crash occurred when the Executive was returning home from a business conference.

Marc Brandon, the vice president of anti-piracy Internet operations for Warner Brothers Entertainment, attended a three-day business conference in Sunnydale, CA. The event was sponsored by one of Warner’s anti-piracy vendors. Warner Brothers had approved the trip and paid for Brandon’s airfare, hotel and airport parking.

After the trip, Brandon drove home from the airport and was involved in an accident with another car. The wreck injured three pedestrians, one of whom later died from his injuries.

Continue reading " Employer Blamed for Exec’s Car Accident " »

In a class action lawsuit brought on by 97,000 current and former Wal-Mart workers in Iowa, the company has agreed to pay a settlement of $11 million. The workers alleged that they were forced to skip breaks or work off the clock.

The lawsuit was filed in 2001 and claimed that the company altered employee time records, did not compensate workers for off-the-clock work or overtime, and did not allow employees to take lunch or rest breaks.

As part of the agreement, Wal-Mart did not admit any wrongdoing. Final approval for the deal was given by Clinton County District Court Judge David Sivright.

Continue reading " Wal-Mart will pay $11 million settlement " »

On the job accidents can cause serious injury and even death. A construction worker in Philadelphia died after falling 125 feet from a tall construction lift while working on a church roof. The worker was on the construction lift when it toppled over and struck a downtown apartment building.

The vehicle tipped over when it was over a grate on the sidewalk. Witnesses say the grate gave way. The Fire Commissioner thinks the man may have free-fallen to the ground. Authorities are investigating whether the 40-year-old victim was properly strapped into the boom lift as he worked.

The victim was a married father who had worked for the masonry company for over 20 years. Three other people are being treated for minor injuries from falling debris.

Source: Associated Press-“Worker dies in Philly after 125-foot fall”- October 12, 2009