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Common Causes of Car Accidents in South Carolina
McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC lawyers are strong advocates for auto accident victims
The car injury and fatality statistics for South Carolina are overwhelming. According to the South Carolina Department of Transportation, nearly three people are killed each day, and one person is injured every 10.7 minutes. There is one traffic crash every 4.7 minutes. Accidents happen on busy highways such as I-26, I-20, and I-77 every day across South Carolina. But a serious accident can occur just about anywhere and at any time.
The experienced South Carolina auto accident attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, work aggressively to determine the cause of each accident case they handle. Our lawyers have decades of experience and use that experience to ask the right questions and find the right facts. We review police and accident reports and talk to anyone who may have seen the accident. We arrange for someone to visit the accident site because the layout of the roads, lights, and nearby stores and property can help determine what really happened. We examine the damage to the vehicle. The location of the auto damage is a factor in understanding how the car accident happened. The severity of the damage can indicate how severe the injuries should be.
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Common types of auto accidents
Auto accident victims need to be able to prove that someone else caused their injuries and the other person was negligent. Some of the common accident causes our lawyers review include:
- Drunk Driving When a drunk driver causes a car accident that injures or kills another person, that driver is personally liable to the victim for damages. However, liability may not end there. Social host laws make adults responsible for serving alcohol to minors. Dram shop laws hold businesses accountable for over-serving patrons who later cause injury or harm to others. Our attorneys work closely with expert investigators to determine the cause of the drunk driving accident to hold all responsible parties accountable to victims.
- Distracted Driving Drivers who do not pay full attention to the road are a major cause of auto accidents in South Carolina. Just a few seconds of distraction can be deadly or cause serious harm because the driver is not concentrating on traffic. Common reasons drivers are distracted include:
- Texting while driving
- Talking on cell phones while driving
- Playing with the radio
- Eating or drinking while driving
- Reading while driving
- Using a visual GPS system or
- Talking to someone in the back seat of the car
- Automobile Defects Manufacturers have a duty to the consumers to make sure their product is safe for the auto driver to use. If the brakes do not work properly or if the engine stalls at an intersection, the vehicle can cause a serious or fatal car accident. At McGowan, Hold and Felder, LLC we hold manufacturers, car distributors, and everyone who has hand a hand in making or selling the car liable for auto defects and poor design.
- Reckless Driving Reckless driving is driving that endangers the safety of other vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, and property. Reckless driving is more than just negligent or sloppy driving. It is gross misconduct, which can allow a claim for punitive damages. Examples of reckless driving are:
- Excessive speeding
- Constant lane shifting,
- Driving through red lights and stop signs
- Tailgating
Other major causes of South Carolina car accidents
Many of the auto accidents in the state are due to violations of the state motor vehicle laws. This includes speeding, failure to yield, failing to obey stop signs and traffic signals, driving recklessly, and other violations. Additionally, auto crashes may be the result of:
- Driver negligence. This can include driver error, poor driving judgment, falling asleep at the wheel, or other errors that may not be motor vehicle violations but are still the fault of the driver.
- Maintenance failures. Every car owner has a duty to make sure the car they own is safe for the highway. It is not enough to rely on state inspection exams. The owner needs to make sure the tires are not bald, the steering is working and the car is ready to drive.
- Poor highway design. The county or state that designs the highway and the companies that help them, have a duty to make sure the roads they design are safe for drivers. When the design is faulty, it may be possible to sue the government. It may be possible to sue the engineers and construction companies for faulty design and construction.
- Teenage driving. Teens still cause more car accidents proportionally than any other age group. A primary reason is that they are the age group most likely to be distracted by cellphones and other new technology.
Contact a South Carolina auto accident attorney you can trust
The lawyers at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, have a proven track record of success in car accident cases. Our lawyers are dedicated, driven, and committed to delivering results. Your car accident case matters to us. Let us help you obtain the justice and compensation you deserve.
Contact McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, today. Call 803-327-7800 and schedule a free case evaluation by a South Carolina car accident attorney, or fill out our contact form from any device. We proudly serve people throughout South Carolina from offices in Columbia, Anderson, Rock Hill, Sumter, and Georgetown.