Drunk Driving Accidents

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My son and I were hit by a drunk driver about a year ago... It was a very, very traumatic event for both of us. Something that you never forget. I really do understand what you went through because I've been there. - Malcolm Crosland

Getting Results

$1.45 Million

Car Accident Case

Charleston, South Carolina Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

We are here to ensure you can see a positive future after your accident. And our whole firm is here to make sure you have the resources to make that vision a reality.

For a free case review, call us at 843-720-2800.

Representing Injured People Since 1927

A Team on Your Side

After an accident, you must take time to focus on recovery for yourself and your family.

No matter how well, safely or defensively you drive, sometimes there is no avoiding a drunk driver that is driving way too fast and swerving all over the road. Something you do not even see them coming and you have no time to avoid the crash. So, if and when this happens, you need to know what to do in order to protect your rights and to get the compensation for your injuries that you deserve.

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You can trust our clients:

Mr. Crosland was very personable and very knowledgeable concerning my Auto Accident. He was able to give us a very fair and much appreciated settlement. If I ever need to be represented again, I would not hesitate to use the Steinberg Law Firm. - Cole

Answering Your Questions

Assessing liability for a personal injury claim is not always as simple as it may seem for an accident victim.

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Who is liable for my damages?

In some cases, the person directly responsible for the accident is clear. In others, product manufacturers, property owners and others not directly involved in the accident may have been instrumental in its cause and, subsequently, any resulting injuries. In these cases, additional parties may be proven negligent and held responsible for resulting damages. An experienced attorney can help you determine who was liable in your case and held them accountable for your injuries.

Talk to a Charleston DUI Accident Lawyer

Most DUI accidents are complicated because the crashes can be violent and cause serious injuries. An experienced DUI accident lawyer is responsible for doing everything possible to be able to recreate the collision in order to prove that the inebriated driver was negligent and caused the crash and the injuries. That is why it is important to get us involved as soon as possible. The sooner we are able to collect evidence the better we can represent your interests and get fair compensation for your injuries. Trust us, the drunk driver’s insurance company will have a team of adjusters, lawyers and investigators on their side. You should have a dedicated, experienced team on your side protecting your rights.

We Are Always Here for Clients

The Steinberg Law Firm Looks out for Your Best Interests

South Carolina DUI Accident Lawyers

Every time you drive on the roads and highways of South Carolina, there is a chance that you might get into an automobile accident.

If you do, hopefully it is just a small fender bender and no one was injured. However, sometimes, people are seriously injured in car crashes by the negligence of other drivers. The worst kind of negligent drivers who cause accidents are those that are driving drunk or are impaired on other drugs or substances. These drivers get drunk and purposely risk taking their lives and the lives of South Carolinians every time they get into a car.

Drunk or impaired driving is a much bigger problem in the state than people realize. South Carolina saw a 14 percent increase in alcohol-related deaths between 2019 and 2020, making South Carolina the 10th highest state for DUI deaths. Moreover, there were over 16,600 DUI-related arrests in South Carolina in 2020. Nationwide, DUI-related deaths have reached over 10,000 people in the past several years.

Free Car Accident Consultations

In the aftermath of an injury-causing accident, there are numerous damages for which you may seek compensation.

We understand injuries can prevent you from supporting you and your family, and we have the legal knowledge and skill to help you pursue financial compensation from the person responsible for your unnecessary pain and suffering. If you have been the victim of such an accident in or around Charleston, our attorneys are ready to help you understand the scope of your legal options.

What to Do After an A Drunk Driving Accident in South Carolina

Assess the situation and try to get out of harm’s way, if necessary.
If you are injured try to assess the injuries as quickly as possible to see if you can move or if there is bleeding or some other condition that needs immediate care. If you are able to move and get out of your vehicle, then try to help other injured people get out of their vehicles. You do not want to be in your vehicle if you can help it due to the risk of a secondary crash caused by passerby vehicles.

Call 911 and report the crash.
Do this as fast as possible once everyone is safe from extra harm. The sooner EMTs and ambulances get the scene the sooner seriously injured can receive the treatment. Saving someone’s life can mean calling for an ambulance just a few minutes sooner. Also, you want the police to get there to investigate the collision, interview witnesses and direct traffic to prevent any subsequent collisions. The police can also determine if the at-fault driver was intoxicated when the crash occurred. Police are trained experts at determining sobriety and administering field sobriety tests. The police can also secure any physical evidence of intoxication such as open or empty alcohol containers in the vehicle, breathalyzer results or urine/blood samples. Further, the sooner the police arrive the sooner they can make sure the drunk driver does not leave the scene of the accident. Many drunk drivers flee the scenes of crashes that they caused because they believe that they can sober up before the police catch them.

Try to notice things about the at-fault drier to spot any signs of intoxication.
Is the other driver stumbling or falling over? Do you smell alcohol on the other driver? Is the other driver slurring their words or talking incoherently? Is the other driver attempting to hide evidence of drinking such as throwing away beer cans? Did you witness the other driver switch seats with a passenger in order to claim that they were not driving at the time of the crash? If you have a smartphone on you, remember that you can also take pictures or videos of the driver demonstrating any intoxication or any evidence of intoxication.

Contact a lawyer who is experienced in South Carolina DUI crashes.
An attorney who has handled hundreds of these types of personal injury claims will be able to protect your rights and win compensation for your injuries and losses. You should not rely upon the criminal justice system to be compensated for the economic losses and the non-economic damages that you face. You should contact an attorney that has a lot of experience handling DUI accident cases so that, if necessary, a civil lawsuit can be filed against the driver and their insurance company.

Practice Areas

Results

WE HAVE RECOVERED OVER $500 MILLION FOR CLIENTS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, INCLUDING:
Truck Accident

$825,000

Rear-End Accident

What Can a Charleston DUI Accident Lawyer Do For You?

  • Collect and maintain any evidence at the scene

    An attorney can take detailed photographs and measurements at the scene of the crash, noting the lengths of any skid marks and locations of the vehicles. Additionally, they can collect and maintain any evidence at the scene of the accident that might be relevant and make sure the “chain of custody” of the evidence so that it can be used in court without claims of evidence tampering. Some types of physical evidence could be pieces of the various vehicles involved as well as dash camera footage.

  • Obtain the vehicle’s “black box”

    Obtain the vehicle’s “black box” and pull the data off it to preserve it. As with airplanes, many modern vehicles have a black box that records various data about the vehicle in real time, including speed, direction and breaking action just before the accident. This is a wealth of information that an accident reconstruction expert can use to determine what occurred minutes or even hours before the crash.

  • Collect evidence after the fact

    An attorney can help track down witnesses and get their recorded statements as soon as possible so that the information provided is the most accurate and no one forgets important facts and impressions of the truck crash. They can also acquire the police accident investigation reports and any documentation, photos or measurements taken by the police while investigating the crash and obtain any criminal records related to the defendant’s drunk or impaired driving charges and convictions including the amount of their BAC (blood alcohol content) levels.

  • Tap into a team of experts

    If necessary, hire our own accident reconstruction expert to look at all the evidence and the data from the black box and give an expert opinion on what caused the collision, what factors were involved and how the injuries were sustained.

Glen: Seriously injured in a car accident. Represented by the Steinberg Law Firm.
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Why Choose The Steinberg Law Firm

Types of Accidents Caused by Drunk Drivers

Drunk drivers or drivers that are impaired due to taking drugs can cause many types of accidents. It does not take much alcohol, for most people, to make them legally impaired and unable to driver a vehicle. Most people are arrested at much higher amounts than the legal limit in South Carolina. Given this, drunk drivers or impaired drivers can cause many types of crashes. Here are a few of the most common:

Rear-End Impacts

Being intoxicated impairs a person’s abilities and senses. They cannot properly judge speed, distance and their reaction time is significantly reduced. Also, their vision is impaired causing them to unable to see traffic control devices, stop lights or other conditions of the roadway. Because of this, there is a greater likelihood of rear-end crashes. Because a drunk driver’s reaction time is slower due to the alcohol or drugs, if a driver in front of them stops quickly, the drunk driver cannot stop in time.

Head-On Crashes

Often intoxicated or impaired drivers can become drowsy while driving. When a driver in this condition dozes off, they can suddenly veer into oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision. These types of accidents are so sudden and violent that the innocent drivers and passengers in the other vehicle have no time to respond or take evasive action.

Motorcycle and Truck Accident

Wrong-way Accidents

Due to their impaired state, many drunk drivers are so intoxicated that they do not know where they are going and can driver the wrong way, thus causing serious risk to other vehicles and drivers on the road.

Pedestrian Collisions

Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to drunk drivers. Given the erratic driving of most drunk drivers, even people walking on sidewalks are unsafe. However, people walking along the side of a road or attempting to cross an intersection are in particular in harm’s way, especially at night, given the drunk driver’s impaired senses of vision and reaction time. Further, the injuries suffered by pedestrians that are struck by drunk drivers are usually much more severe than regular crashes. The person walking along the side of the road has absolutely no protection from the several ton vehicle.

Like most car crashes, the injuries that are caused by a DUI accident can be, on average, much more severe than in regular car accidents. Due to the erratic driving of the DUI vehicle and the greater speed, these types of crashes can cause severe and even deadly types of injuries. Here are some of the common injuries that can be expected in DUI related crashes:

Common DUI Accident Injuries

Brain injuries: A brain injury resulting from a car crash at great speed is very common. And although newer vehicles are equipped with more and better airbags (for example side airbags), there is still a high chance of brain injury caused by a driver who is under the influence.

Spinal cord injuries: Injuries to the spine are common in many types of accidents with all types of vehicles. However, due to the speed that many drunk drivers travel, these accidents are just more violent, causing more spinal cord injuries.

Burns and death by fire: In most crashes, cars do not catch on fire. But due to the violence of a crash caused by a drunk driver, this can ignite the gas tank or fuel lines, causing the vehicles to blow up.

Fatal DUI crashes: As stated above, the death rate caused by DUI accidents in South Carolina is staggering. And it does not seem that this death rate is going to decrease, despite the attempts of law enforcement and the legislature to enact new laws.

Recovering Damages

What Types of Damages Can I Recover If I Was Injured by a Drunk Driver?

If you were injured in an automobile crash in South Carolina that was caused by the negligence of a drunk driver, then you can recover damages for you injuries. Even though the drunk driver was taken away from the scene of the accident in handcuffs, you can still file a lawsuit against them and the insurance company, despite the fact that the drunk driver was arrested. It does not matter that there may also be a criminal case.

First Responder at Emergency Room Entrance

Recovering Compensation After a Car Accident

Our South Carolina car accident attorneys are here to help you recover compensation for damages and injuries caused by the accident including:

Economic damages: The economic damages that can be recovered are fairly easy to calculate. These types of damages are the following:

  • Property damage to your car and any items you may have had in the vehicle
  • Unpaid medical bills and expenses related to your treatment and recovery
  • Future lost wages due to a long term disability affecting your future earning capacity
  • Lost wages due to an inability to work while healing from your injuries

Non-economic damages: The non-economic damages that you would be able to recover are more difficult to discern because your lawyer is not just adding up numbers. Non-economic damages are for what the injuries did to your life, including:

  • Humiliation and damage to your reputation
  • Pain and suffering from your injuries
  • Emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder and mental suffering

Get the Compensation You Deserve

Your Questions Answered

Car Accident Frequently Asked Questions

Every state in America has rules on how long a plaintiff has to file a civil lawsuit for personal injuries. These time limits are called “statute of limitations” and are set by each states’ legislature. The time limit in each state can vary with different types of lawsuits having different time limits. In South Carolina, a lawsuit seeking compensation for personal injuries caused by a drunk driver is three (3) years from the date of the crash. Also, if the plaintiff was killed by the negligence of the drunk driver, then the deceased family would also have three (3) years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim against the drunk driver and their insurance company.

The purpose of statute of limitations is two-fold. First, it protects the rights of the accused to be able to face evidence against them that is not stale. One can imagine that as time passes from the date of a car crash, certain types of evidence made disappear, witnesses may die or their memories may fade. Second, a time limit on filing a lawsuit will also allow a potential defendant to not be subject to possible litigation for the rest of their life.

If you have been injured by a drunk driver, please do not hesitate to contact the lawyers at Steinberg Law Firm at (843) 720-2800. Let us help you through these trying times. Being injured by a drunk driver can be a horrible experience. We can answer your questions and help you recover the damages to compensate you for your injuries. The initial consultation is free.

  • The amount of medical bills — this includes past medical bills as well as medical bills that you might incur in the future that are related to your car crash injuries
  • The amount of lost wages — just like with medical bills, this number counts both past lost wages as well as future loss wages due a lower earning power caused by an ongoing disability
  • The amount of pain and suffering that you have endured — this category of damages is called non-economic damages and can be difficult to put a number on it because there is no formula that can be used. The only way to determine this number is to hire an experienced lawyer who has handled hundreds of South Caroline car accident cases
  • How much insurance coverage are you able to get access to — this issue involves the insurance policy limits on the at-fault driver's insurance. The at-fault driver has to cover your injuries. Also, do you have underinsurance or uninsurance if the at-fault driver does not have insurance or does not have enough insurance. You may have suffered injuries that an average person would agree should be worth millions of dollars. However, you will only receive the policy limits of the various insurance policies that are in play
  • There seriousness of your injuries and length of your treatment — will there be any aspect of your injury that is permanent such as scarring or will there be a full and complete recovery.

Contact a South Carolina Car Accident Attorney

What Our Attorneys Can Do For You

At Steinberg Law Firm, our car accident lawyers have experience dealing with insurance companies and at-fault drivers who are reluctant to pay. Our team of attorneys will fight for you to get the compensation you deserve.

Our experienced lawyers know how to build your case to pursue the best outcome for you and your family. We have the resources and knowledge to investigate the circumstances of your accident and to deal with insurance companies so you do not have to. We are committed to offering our clients high-quality legal representation.

Let Us Handle the Insurance Companies

If you or a loved one has been a victim of a DUI accident, we do not advise that you try to handle the insurance companies yourself. They have teams of lawyers, adjusters and investigators working against you to try to pay you as little as possible on your claim. Contact the car accident lawyers at Steinberg Law Firm today.