South Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

According to the Post and Courier, Charleston County Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Koelpin named the second man in the same number of days to be killed while working under their car. South Carolina auto accident attorneys want you to know Nicholas Monich was working under his Audi S8 in the driveway of his West Ashley home when the jack holding the high-performance car slipped killing the 30-year-old Monich. The previous afternoon Gary Anthony of Mt. Pleasant was killed after trying to raise one of the two jacks holding his Mazda 626 above him. In the process it appears one slipped causing the car to fall on his chest, Anthony was 43 years old.

It should be mentioned that neither of the two men had blocks under the wheels of their cars, doing so is strongly recommended when working with jacks to prevent wrongful death and other serious accidents. In one of the cases the jack was placed in dirt and is a major risk when working under cars, as well as using a jack on an incline.

2010 was a particularly deadly and dangerous year on South Carolina water ways. Charleston boat accident lawyers Howell and Christmas, LLC have heard a great deal of chatter and read several newspaper reports of fatal boat accidents on Lake Murray, which is near our capital city in Columbia and also on the waterways in and around Charleston, Beaufort and Myrtle Beach. Our experienced South Caroilina accident attorneys have been advising our clients, friends and family of the dangers that can occur while boating for years. Boating is fun but it is always a good idea to be aware of how serious injuries happen when riding on the waterways of our state.

We came across news of another fatal boat accident in Guilford where a 25 year old man was driving a boat and allegedly crashed into seawall, killing one man and seriously injuring another. The driver allegedly was drunk and had four times the legal limit of alcohol in his body authorities say. In addition to being sued in civil court, the driver was also criminally charged with manslaughter, reckless endangerment, assault and reckless operation of a boat while being on drugs and/or drunk. The boat involved in the accident was owned by the driver's father who has moved before the Court to be relieved from any and all liabilty regarding the crash. As for the civil lawsuits against the alleged drunk driver, the families of the dead and injured are alleging the operator of the vessel was reckless and negligent in that he was allegedly intoxicated and also because he failed to keep a proper look out for the seawall.

The deceased man in the accident died from severe injuries to his head including a fractured skull and excessive bleeding on his brain. The victim that survived the crash also suffered a traumatic brain injury, in addition to several other serious injuries, and is reportedly having significant problems with concentration, memory loss and attention.

Continue reading " South Carolina Boat Accident - Learn From The Past " »

The experienced accident attorneys at Howell and Christmas, LLC are pleased to announce that a Georgia jury has found that a nursing home operator must pay over 40 million in damages in a wrongful death case. The owner also faces federal charges for alleged fraud steming from the company's billing of Medicare. The monies from the verdict are to be paid to the estate of a man who died from inadequate care while living in the facility. According to reports, the nursing home had been cited for numerous violations, both state and federal, while operating.

The home was operating under the name Moran Lake Nursing Home and was located in Rome, Georgia. This was one of three care facilities owned and operated by the defendant. The federal charges against the homes' operator allege that he took monies from medicare and medicaid that were intended to provide needed medical care and treatment to those living at these homes but instead the money was allegedly used for the owner's personal gain for things like private homes and cars.

The deceased plaintiff had allegedly fallen on several occasions causing serious injuries such as a hip fracture. The nursing home was negligent in not informing the plaintiff's family of his injuries and in failing to inform his doctors of same. According to reports, the Georgia Department of Human Resources" Office of Regulatory Services inspected the home over the past few years and as a result of their investigation closed the facility permanently. The home is now operating again but under a different name and with different management.

Continue reading " South Carolina Wrongful Death Lawyers - Jury Orders Defendant To Pay Over 40 Million " »

Charleston job injury attorneys would like to report that the Workers' Compensation insurance rates in South Carolina for employers are on the decline and will likely continue to decline over the next several years. South Carolina job accident insurance is required for any employer that has four or more employees. This insurance is vital to help protect those that are seriously hurt at work and their families. These benefits pay workers two-thirds of their average weekly wage each week so that they can meet their financial obligations when recovering from an injury and being out of work. Employees are also entitled to having one-hundred percent of their medical treatment paid for under the Act.

According to the Winton Salem Journal, in our sister state, North Carolina, for 2010 the insurance industry is calling for a rate increase. Their insurance department is reporting that the state's organization that represents companies writing workers' compensation insurance in the state is requesting the rate hike which includes a over a one percent increase for administration costs and five and one-half percent for their assigned risk pools. This follows 2009 where the Dept. of Insurance Commissioner oversaw a over a nine and a half decrease to the loss costs area and a no increase in the markets addressing assigned risk. This saved busniess in the state over one-hundred million dollars.

Continue reading " South Carolina Workers Compensation Rate Decrease Proposed While Rate Hike In North Carolina " »