Legal Information

A workplace injury can place a huge burden on you and your family. After getting hurt at work, you have a lot of questions, like:

“Who will pay my medical bills?”
“What about time I miss from work?”
“Will my employer fire me if I report my injury?”
“Can I trust the insurance company to take care of me and my family?”

Many injured workers try to deal with the insurance company on their own. After all, you’ve worked hard for your employer all these years; shouldn’t they treat you fairly after an injury? Unfortunately, sometimes they won’t.

Big insurance companies are designed to deny workers’ compensation claims, and they could make you jump through hoops to prove that you were hurt – or even deny your claim all together!

If you’ve been hurt at work, it is important you follow these steps:

1) Report your injury to your employer right away! This is possibly the most crucial step for you when trying to file a workers’ compensation claim. It is likely that your business will have procedures in place that you need to follow if you are hurt at work. Reporting this injury right when it happens will then allow your attorney and/or legal advisor to have proof and date of the incident, which makes for much more smooth sailing in your overall case.
2) Find out where to go to receive the appropriate medical treatment. This, too, is something you need to speak with your employer about, especially if you need immediate medical attention. Your employer and the workers’ compensation insurance company are required to provide you with medical care. If you have to travel more than five miles from your residence to receive this medical care, you should be paid mileage.
3) Understand how to continue receiving income if you are unable to work. It is possible you may be entitled to up to 2/3 of your average weekly pay if your doctor has instructed you not to work. Your weekly average pay is determined by looking at the four quarters of employment before the injury was obtained. It is also possible for you to receive these benefits regardless of fault. Speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to find out when and how you can begin receiving income while not at work.
4) Call an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer to help get you and your family the justice and compensation you deserve!

The South Carolina Worker’s Compensation Act may also entitle you to coverage for injuries that are obtained over a period of time, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, neck injuries, shoulder injuries, and more. However, these laws can be very confusing to someone who is not experienced with dealing with them and all the loopholes. Your employer and their insurance company will try to get everything settled as soon as possible with the least amount of monetary coverage as possible. The hardworking team at George Sink, P.A. Injury lawyers doesn’t want that to happen to you.

Let us help you deal with your workers’ compensation claim! You can put our legal experience to work for you, and we’ll fight to get you the maximum amount of monetary coverage you deserve.

Whether it ‘s you or a loved one suffering from an injury, it’s never easy to deal with all the medical bills and lost time from work that piles up during this time. The hardworking team at George Sink, P.A. Injury lawyers is here for you and welcomes you to contact us for your free consultation. We want to make your life a little easier! You have enough to deal with, let us handle the insurance company.

A new project is currently underway to create a safe pathway for cyclists and pedestrians that stretches over a vast majority of Charleston, South Carolina. The route would run from Isle of Palms through Sullivan’s Island, Mt Pleasant and downtown Charleston, then over to West Ashley, James Island and all the way out to Folly Beach.

This project is helping to promote an active lifestyle by giving our citizens and visitors the ability to exercise and get outdoors in a safe environment.

At George Sink, P.A. Injury lawyers we fully support an active and healthy lifestyle. We think it’s important that you are safe while walking, jogging or riding your bike throughout our city. However, we also know that sharing the roadways with big trucks and other automobiles can be dangerous. We have represented numerous cyclists and joggers who have been injured by careless drivers. If you have found yourself injured while engaging in outdoor activities because of another party’s negligence, please call a seasoned personal injury lawyer today to get you the just compensation you deserve.

If you would like to know more about the creation of this bicycle path around the city (Battery to Beach project), please go to charlestonmoves.org.

Also, please feel free to leave comments about the bicycle paths in your area around the state of South Carolina. If there is a major concern you have, we may be able to direct in the right direction in whom to speak with about your issue.

Industry-leading automobile professionals around the world are currently working to perfect the design of a two person automobile that runs completely off of electricity, drives itself AND has the capability of “talking” to other vehicles on the roadway. Perhaps this new technology could even help prevent automobile accidents and accident-related fatalities .

It’s shaped like an egg and drives on two wheels using the same kind of balancing technology that a Segway has for stability. If you’ve seen pictures of it, you can agree, it’s pretty bizarre.*

These “futuristic” cars (that actually may not be as far around the corner as we think) are not currently on the market yet, though. It will, however, be interesting to see what their safety ratings are once they do hit the streets.

Instead, today, we are talking about the small cars that you drive or see on the highway on a daily basis.

Jim Grozelany of Forbes Manual, recently published a list of the safest smalls cars currently on the road. Here they are in alphabetical order:

1) Audi A3
2) Buick Verano
3) Chevrolet Cruze
4) Chevrolet Sonic
5) Chevrolet Volt
6) Lexus CT 200h
7) Mazda3
Scion tC
9) Subaru Impreza
10) Toyota Prius

These cars qualified for this list by being examined by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

“A car must garner top scores across the board by performance in front, side, rollover, and rear-end crashes… (we then) identified the models that offer the most safety features to both help protect their occupants in a crash and help their drivers steer clear of collisions in the first place”, said Grozelany. To read more about each car that has been named in the top 10 safest small cars, click here.

Although these cars and others being made today have top-of-the-line safety features, automobile accidents can still happen. No one likes to think it will happen to them, but if you find yourself injured because of the result of an automobile collision, no matter what type of car you are in (or bike or motorcycle), the hardworking team at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers is hear to help you every step of the way.

Your On-Star or cell phone got the police and ambulance there. Your family and friends will help and support you along the way. Now, let us get you the just compensation you deserve!

Click here to find out how to get your free consultation.

A pothole in the road can be a very dangerous hazard for several reasons:

• You may have to swerve to miss it, entering another lane or driving off the side of the road.
• It may snag your tire just right (or wrong) to cause you to get into an accident.
• There may be sharp and/or protruding edges that could cause a flat tire and/or mess up your alignment.

Besides the initial danger of an automobile accident, constantly hitting potholes inflicts unwanted and unnecessary wear and tear on your tires, and ultimately, your vehicle.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), maintains over 41,000 miles of roadway in our state. The remaining 19,000 miles of roadway are maintained by local governments, private businesses or individuals.

Therefore, there’s a good chance the pothole you have encountered is a hazard that should be reported to the South Carolina Department of Transportation. It is our recommendation, at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers, to report potholes and any other road hazards including, but not limited to:

• Street sign repair
• Improperly functioning traffic light or bulb out
• Tree removal if in danger of falling or blocking roadway
• Excess litter

If you do not know who to contact regarding a particular road in which you have noticed a repair needed, you can go to the SCDOT website now and find out which roads are maintained by this department.

You can also request maintenance work now from SCDOT through a simple online web form.

If a roadway hazard has caused you or a loved to become a victim of an automobile collision and injury, please contact the personal injury lawyers at George Sink. P.A. Injury Lawyers right away for your free consultation.

If your life was endangered by the negligence of someone else, we want to help you get the compensation you deserve!

Did you know that approximately 70-75% of all initial applications for social security disability are denied by the Social Security Administration? It’s true.

But, don’t get immediately discouraged. We have better news for you…

Of that percentage of denials, around 60 to 70 % are changed to accepted claims after either reconsideration or a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.

This is why we, at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers, would like to help you when dealing with this stressful and sometimes painful time in your life.

Although applying for disability can sometimes be a long and confusing process when trying to handle it on your own, we will make sure to guide and help you through the next steps.

So, please, don’t feel like you are on your own… we will work with you to try to get the initial denial turned around.

Call an experienced social security disability attorney who knows the system, and will work hard to get you the disability benefits you deserve!

Apply on your own for disability at the Social Security Administration website now.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is being ordered by a judge to release video and other info from traffic stops to the public, even if the case is ongoing. The judge ruled specifically that a newspaper should have received video of a traffic stop which led to the arrest of a councilwoman for driving under the influence.  Requests for video are often denied by the Public Safety Department because information may affect the criminal case against the suspect. The judge ruled the agency must show proof the release of information will result in harm, according to news reports.

As a Spartanburg car accident attorney, I hope the release of information leads to future justice for car accident victims. If you or a loved one were harmed in an auto accident, discuss your case with a personal injury lawyer who can assess your claim, and  answer any important legal questions you may have regarding you help defend your case. A personal injury lawyer can help guide you through your case by guiding you through the legal processes associated with your case in order to reach the best possible outcome for your claim.

According to news reports, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced settling with multiple Internet-based firms that were charged with illegally selling and distributing “circle” contact lenses. Circle contact lenses are a form of novelty eyewear that gives the illusion of larger eyes by covering the entire surface of the consumer’s eyes.

The FTC charged the owners of three websites with violating the 2004 Contact Lens Rule that forbids the sale of contact lenses without first obtaining a valid doctor’s prescription. The Rule also governs the sale of these cosmetic contact lenses due to the potential that these lenses have for resulting in corneal ulcers, corneal abrasions, vision impairment and blindness if they are worn improperly. The settlement fined the owners of these websites $68,000, $24,000 and $5,400 respectively for their participation in these illegal sales.

As a Walterboro personal injury lawyer, I feel it’s a necessity to consistently monitor news from government agencies that police medical devices that could cause potential permanent damage in consumers to, hopefully, aid in avoiding preventable injuries. If you’ve been injured through the use of a defective product, speak with a personal injury lawyer experienced in these matters to learn more about your rights as a consumer.

News sources reported that the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) reviewer certification program will become an agency-wide requirement this month in the effort to have a more prepared staff and shorten medical device review times.

The training program is 18 months and will be required of all new device reviewers from the Center for Devices & Radiological Health’s (CDRH) anaesthesia, general hospital, infection control and dental devices divisions.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, CDRH chief, “We are investing resources so that new device reviewers at CDRH are equipped to handle the range of issues that arise during the premarket device reviews. This investment will improve the quality of submission review and make the process more consistent and predictable.”

At the same time, the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Health panel is set to focus on tweaking the FDA regulatory process for medical devices and prescription drugs in the effort of gaining a competitive edge on foreign markets with more favorable regulatory conditions. In a news release, the committee said, “The US traditionally has been the leader in the medical device industry employing an estimated 420,000 Americans, but the lack of predictability and consistency at FDA currently force research and development, manufacturing and new product approvals to Europe, costing American jobs and limiting US patients’ access to revolutionary new devices.”

The med-tech industry has frequently asked for more consistency and predictability from the agency. The new program requirement is aimed at provided such consistency.

As a Columbia personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen many recalls from the med-tech industry and know that they and the FDA work hard to prevent such events. While we don’t handle these types of cases, if you’ve been injured through the use of a defective medical product, it may be in your best interests to speak with a personal injury lawyer in your area.

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.

No criminal charges will be filed in the case of a fatal children’s train ride accident in Spartanburg earlier this year, according to news reports.

Here’s background on the story that I’ve been reporting about since March:

An inspector for a children’s train at a South Carolina park that crashed, killing one child and injuring many others, has admitted to failing to test the train before the accident, according to news reports.

The 20-year-old inspector said he did not test the children’s train on Wednesday at Cleveland Park in Spartanburg because the train’s battery was dead. The train crashed Saturday with nearly 30 passengers aboard. The accident killed a six-year-old boy and injured at least 17 people.

Sixteen people onboard the train, including the child who died, were members of the Corinth Baptist Church in Gaffney.

The inspector  “came forward and admitted he had filed a complete report but had not done a thorough inspection,” according to news reports.

The fatal accident is being investigated. All miniature train rides at the park have been shut down during the investigation. It is unknown what caused the derailment, according to the Spartanburg Public Safety Department and the South Carolina Highway Patrol, which are leading the investigation.

Criminal charges could be filed in the incident, according to news reports.

As a Charleston car accident lawyer, I’m saddened to hear about this fatal accident involving children. My condolences go out to the child’s friends and family during this difficult time. I hope all the other children and adults who were injured in the accident are able to quickly recover from their injuries.

I hope investigators are able to determine how this collision occurred and ensure a tragic event like this never happens again. If you or a loved one has been injured in a train accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Charleston.