Auto Insurance

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s top picks this year for vehicle safety come in a variety of shapes and sizes from sedans to minivans to trucks and minicars, but what they all have in common is that they are each equipped with electronic stability control.

Electronic stability control (ESC) is a crash avoidance technology that has been shown to save lives and reduce the risk of rollover and other crashes. Insurance industry experts are speculating that the system may one day be saving motorists money too.

Vehicles equipped with ESC have seen their crash rates drop compared to earlier models of the same vehicle that did not have the safety technology installed. The reduction in crashes leads to a reduction in insurance claims, and while ESC is not yet considered a factor in lower insurance policy estimates, industry forecasters are saying that day is not far off.

As a Spartanburg car accident attorney, motorist safety is something that I am very conscious of. I encourage drivers to consider purchasing vehicles that come equipped with crash avoidance technologies. Because of my experience as a Spartanburg personal injury lawyer, I am very aware of the split-second difference between everything seeming fine and a terrible vehicle crash. I urge motorists to always practice safe driving habits.

A North Charleston police officer suffer minor injuries Friday morning when he attempted to avoid a collision with a pickup by laying down his motorcycle, report news sources.

According the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the incident occurred just after 7 a.m. as the 38-year-old officer was riding a 2009 Harley-Davidson motorcycle westbound on Centre Pointe Drive. An eastbound 1995 Ford pickup truck attempted to make a left turn in front of the motorcycle. To avoid the collision the officer laid down his motorcycle but then flew off the bike and struck the truck.

The officer was taken to a local hospital with minor scrapes and was treated and released. The driver of the truck, a 33-year-old man, is facing charges of failing to yield the right of way.

Being a Florence car accident attorney, I am well aware of the types of injuries that can be suffered in a motorcycle crash. I wish the officer a rapid recovery from his injuries. Because of my experience as a Florence personal injury lawyer, I am very aware of the split-second difference between everything seeming fine and a terrible vehicle crash. I urge motorists always to practice safe driving habits and to stay alert to changing road and traffic conditions.

A motorist died Monday after a single-vehicle crash in Horry County, five miles north of Conway, report news sources.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, at 2:35 p.m., the 72-year-old Loris man was driving a 1991 GMC pickup truck southbound on Secondary Highway 66 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle traveled off the right side of the road and struck a pole. Authorities say speed was not a factor in the crash.

The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was taken to a Myrtle Beach medical center where he was pronounced dead. According to the Horry County Coroner’s Office, the man died of natural causes, not as a result of the crash. The incident remains under investigation.

As a Walterboro auto accident attorney, I have witnessed first-hand the shock and grief of those left behind after an unexpected death. My heartfelt condolences go out to the man’s family, friends and loved ones. Being a Walterboro personal injury lawyer, I know how important it is for grieving people to have a strong support network. I hope the man’s loved ones are getting the care and support they need during this difficult time.

News outlets reported that a South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) officer sustained moderate and major injuries when he was struck by a vehicle Saturday night at a Spartanburg County DUI checkpoint.

According to an SCHP report, the accident occurred on Fairforest Road in the vicinity of Old Fish Camp Road at about 11:15pm Saturday night. The SCHP trooper was working at the traffic checkpoint and was not inside his vehicle at the time of the accident. He sustained moderate and major injuries and, according to his family members, has endured multiple surgeries since the accident. He was listed in fair condition as of Monday afternoon.

The 33-year-old Spartanburg man that struck the trooper was taken into custody and charged with felony driving under the influence that resulted in great bodily injury. The incident report stated that the driver failed all field sobriety tests and he was transported to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center for blood testing.

Fairforest Road was closed for most of Saturday night into Sunday morning to facilitate an investigation and cleanup of the scene.

As a Spartanburg car accident attorney, I’ve seen accidents similar to this and know the devastating effects they can have. As a personal injury lawyer, I know how trying this can be on the victim’s family members, and I hope they have the support they need at this time. My prayers go out to the trooper and I hope for his speedy recovery.

A judge helped me understand how to handle a personal injury case early on in my career.

“Get their reserves up,” the judge advised me while I was in the courtroom waiting for the jury to return their verdict in a case that I had just tried in front of him. We were killing time and he was a kind man giving me helpful advice. He advised giving the insurance company all of the information helpful to my case as soon as possible, rather than holding back any surprises for trial. This judge, a former insurance company lawyer, knew how the system worked.

Let’s look at the big picture. In order to efficiently file and settle claims, you must understand what is going on behind the scenes. It all begins with the insurance company. You pay monthly premiums to the insurance company and those monthly premiums are then invested. The insurance company earns money on those investments and by not by paying out claims. They are forced to however, set aside a portion of each premium dollar to pay claims with, which is called “reserves”. Once the amount of reserves is decided on, the rest of the premium dollars go into investments. Insurance companies spend a lot of time determining these reserves and do not like to change the amounts once they have been set aside.
With this insight, it is clear that you should promptly present the insurance company with all of the information that will cause them to set aside a large amount of reserves, or money to settle your case. If you can use your know-how to get them to put a high value on a claim, the insurance adjuster will not have to request that more money be set aside later on. Adding money to the reserves from their investment money upsets the insurance company because they had the additional money invested, making a profit for them. They didn’t plan to pay it to you, and so that makes the insurance company mad and the adjuster look bad. “Why didn’t you evaluate this claim correctly at the start?” is what the insurance company will ask their adjuster. He looks bad and is not likely to be able to get more money for you, even if he or she wants to. So, “Get their reserves up!”

It’s that simple. As a Charleston car accident attorney, knowing how the system works, and knowing how to work the system, makes a personal injury claim much easier to settle.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Charleston.

One man died Wednesday from injuries sustained in a car accident a day before in Greenville County, according to news reports.

The fatal multi-car accident occurred around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday when a 1988 Ford pickup driven reportedly turned left onto Goodjoin Road and collided with a 2001 Saturn. It is unclear exactly how the collision occurred, but South Carolina Highway Patrol investigators said there was heavy rain at the time of the accident, which may have led to low visibility.

The 47-year-old driver of the Saturn died Wednesday around 7:45 p.m. from injuries sustained in the crash.

Three additional people  were injured in the collision and were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. According to news reports, two lifeflight helicopters were called but couldn’t report to the scene due to weather.

It is unclear what factors were involved in the collision. Investigators are working to determine all the causes in the crash.

As a Beaufort car accident attorney, I’m saddened to hear about this multi-car accident. I hope all the victims in this car accident can experience a full and speedy recovery.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Beaufort.

Electric cars are not only proving to be good for the environment, they’re also getting top safety ratings.

According to news reports, the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf got top safety ratings in some of the first-ever tests of electric cars by an insurer-funded research group, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Both the Volt and Leaf earned high marks for front, side and rear-impact crashes and for rollover crash protection, according to the study.

Some features that make the vehicle safe include their weight, which is a heavy as large sedans and midsize cars, which help protect occupants because the cars can’t be pushed around as easily.

“What powers the wheels is different, but the level of safety for the Volt and Leaf is as high as any of our other top crash test performers,” said Joe Nolan, the institute’s chief administrative officer.

As a Charleston car accident lawyer, I’m glad to hear that car manufactures are working to create the newer eco-friendly vehicles with just as much focus on consumer safety. I hope the auto makers will use quality materials and good design so future recalls can be avoided.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident related to a vehicle recall, contact a personal injury lawyer in Columbia.

A man is being charged with driving under the influence for a holiday car accident that killed two Charleston students, according to news reports.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the man is being charged with two counts of felony for driving under the influence, which led to a fatal car accident on Dec. 29 in Aiken County. The accident occurred when the drunk driver was speeding and trying to pass drivers in front of him when he crossed over the center line had crashed into a couple head-on. He killed two university students, one from Charleston School of Law and the other from the College of Charleston.

As a North Charleston car accident attorney,, I remember hearing about this tragic drunk driving accident in Charleston last month. My condolences go out to the friends and families of the college students who died in this crash. I hope this unfortunate car accident reminds people to never drink and drive. The tragic accident not only affects those who lost loved ones, but also those close to the victims who will now have to pay for making the mistake of drinking and driving.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a drunk driving car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in South Carolina.

Seven insurance companies are suing Toyota Motor Corp. for hundreds of car accidents caused by glitches that lead to sudden acceleration.

American Automobile Insurance Co., Fireman’s Fund Insurance, National Surety Corp., Ameriprise Insurance, IDS Property Casualty Insurance, Motorists Mutual Insurance and American Hardware Mutual Insurance are relating Toyota’s manufacturing problems to 725 crashes caused by a defect resulting in uncontrolled acceleration to speeds of up to 100 mph or more. They say the automaker failed to “equip its cars with an override system that would cause a car to idle if the brake and gas were deployed simultaneously,” according to news reports.

Toyota, which says the lawsuits are meritless, said it “believes that any allegation that a vehicle-based defect is the cause of unintended acceleration in this or any other complaint is completely unfounded and has no basis.”

As a North Charleston car accident attorney,, I’m interested to see how this lawsuit will play out. Toyota recalled about 14 million vehicles worldwide since last November, including about 11 million in the United States. My condolences go out to all the victims of Toyota vehicle problems, as well as their friends and families affected by car accidents that occurred as a result of the safety recalls.

Wednesday could be a very dangerous day.

According to Allstate Insurance, December 15 is the most dangerous day of the year for motorists. The number of car insurance claims on December 15 increases by more than 20 percent compared to other days throughout the year, according to a four-year analysis by the insurer.

“This spike in crashes could be related to weather, holiday shopping, travel or other distractions,” said Allstate subsidiary agency owner Robert Feldman, to news reports. “What’s important for drivers is that we stay focused while at the wheel whether on the highway or in the driveway on December 15 and every day of the year.”

As a North Charleston car accident attorney,, it’s interesting to see that more accidents are caused on some days than others. December weather causes some of the worst road conditions, which attributes to increased numbers of car accidents. Drivers can be extra cautious next week, but remember to always follow safe driving techniques on every day of the year, including wearing your seatbelt, not speeding and being aware of drivers around you. Just because the numbers show one day of the year to be especially dangerous, everyday could be dangerous for drivers. I challenge drivers to reject this statistic and make Wednesday, and every day, a safe driving day.