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DUI Accident Attorneys in Columbia, SC
Drunk Driver Accident Lawyer: Our Legal Team is Ready to Help Victims in Columbia, SC and the Midlands of South Carolina
Unfortunately, drunk driving accidents can occur anywhere. Whether in Columbia, Lexington, or from another area in the Midlands of South Carolina, the carelessness of a drunk driver can often have a devastating impact. These accidents can involve a range of vehicles: automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, bicycles, and boats. In addition, drunk drivers can cause numerous different injuries including traumatic brain injury and even the wrongful death of a loved one.
Drunk driving accidents can occur suddenly and leave their victims unsure of what to do. Luckily, there is help for anyone who becomes the victim of a drunk driver. Columbia DUI accident attorneys Laura Best and Lamar Flatt are skilled lawyers serving Columbia, SC and the surrounding areas. The Best & Flatt legal team have the experience necessary to prove your case and recover fair compensation from the people responsible for your injury.
The Impact of Drunk Driving Accidents
Drunk driving accidents have a tragic and widespread impact. Drunk drivers defined in South Carolina as anyone with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or greater are one of the leading causes of auto accidents in the United States. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), 39 percent of all traffic deaths are linked to alcohol.
Accidents caused by drunk drivers leave countless people injured and unsure of where to turn, and they leave individuals without parents, children, spouses, and friends. If you have been injured by a drunk driver, hire a skilled accident lawyer. Attorneys Laura Best and Lamar Flatt servs Columbia, SC and the surrounding areas. They can help victims of drunk driving accidents from Columbia, Lexington, or another area in the Midlands of South Carolina.
Pursuing a Claim against a Drunk Driver
Injured victims of drunk driving accidents can sue for damages. The relatives of a person killed by a drunk driver, citing wrongful death, can seek compensation as well. In court, those affected by the actions of a drunk driver can seek punitive damages, as well as damages for:
- Medical / Funeral Bills
- Loss of Companionship and Support
- Emotional Loss / Grief
The negligence of the people or business that served alcohol to the driver; the case is even stronger if the drunk driver was underage, or if the driver was obviously drunk when a bar or restaurant served him or her alcohol, is also often referred as the Dram Shop rule.
Help for the Victims of Drunk Driving Accidents in Columbia, Lexington, or another area in the Midlands of South Carolina.
If your injury or a loved ones death was caused by one of the many unfortunate drunk driving accidents that occur in Columbia, Lexington, or another area in the Midlands of South Carolina, hiring a qualified attorney right away can be the key to favorably resolving your case. Our legal team can help ensure that evidence is preserved, essential witnesses are contacted, and other vital issues are addressed. Your attorneys job is to fight for you in court and hold accountable those who caused your injury or your loved ones death, and the legal team at Best & Flatt are ready to help.
Verdicts & Settlements
$300,000
Car Versus Horse Accident
Our client ran into a horse which got loose from adjoining property. Our claim was that the horse owner was negligent in failing to keep the horse confined, including improper fencing. Client sustained significant injuries to the spine. A settlement of $300,000 plus future payments of $2,000/month for lifetime was achieved.
$3.2 Million
Premises Liability/Wrongful Death
A man was killed due to a hazardous condition created by a major corporation and supplier. He left behind two adult children. The case was resolved at mediation for $3.2 million.
$300,000
Workers Compensation
Our client had a head injury following a concussion at work. She had some orthopedic complaints as well. An IME procured by defense counsel indicated she had a very limited impairment and was fully able to work. We were able to obtain a statement from the primary treating physician indicating that she was totally and permanently disabled due to organic brain injury. Recovery after mediation was $300,000.
$1 Million
Car Accidents
Our two clients, a husband and wife, were hit by a drunk driver. Both of them spent weeks in the hospital with multiple surgeries. The at-fault driver had fairly low coverage, but the clients had good under insured motorist coverage. Total recovery was $1 million, which was the combined policy limits.
$500,000
Dram Shop/Wrongful Death
Two minors procured alcohol from a package store and became intoxicated. Later that evening they ran off the road and were killed in a one-car accident. Suit was filed and extensive discovery conducted. Major issues of comparative negligence were raised. The case settled prior to trial for $500,000.
$600,000
Insurance/Personal Injuries
A man was seriously injured while driving a work truck. At issue was how many policies of under insured motorist coverage he could stack, or accumulate. They were business policies, and he owned the business. The insurer took the position that the business was the insured, not the man, and that he could not stack policies. Case settled while in litigation in federal court for $600,000.
$550,000
Dram Shop/Wrongful Death
Our clients sister was killed after a night of drinking at a local establishment when the driver she was riding with, while intoxicated, crashed into another car. Major issues of comparative negligence were raised. Sum total of recovery between car insurance and tavern liability (dram shop) was $550,000.
$500,000
Medical Malpractice/Wrongful Death
A man presented to his family physician with various symptoms and test results indicating cardiac disease. He was let go with no substantial treatment. Shortly afterward he died of a heart attack. Case was settled with the insurance company for the practice group in the amount of $500,000.
$495,000
Slip & Fall/Brain Injury
Our client slipped and fell on a foreign substance in a local grocery store. It was alleged that the grocer either caused or had notice of the substance, and that our client sustained permanent brain injury following a concussion. A lawsuit was filed, and voluminous discovery was conducted, including multiple depositions of medical providers and fact witnesses. The defense denied being at fault and denied the extent of the injuries. The case settled at mediation for $495,000.
$200,000
Workers Compensation
Our client had a herniated disk following a work-related injury. He had fusion surgery by a neurosurgeon. Our contention was that he was permanently and totally disabled. Recovery was $200,000.
Any result we may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.