Proving liability is only one step in the personal injury claim process. To recover the maximum available financial compensation, you must also establish your damages. Sadly, overly aggressive insurance companies will use every tactic in the book to try to reduce your settlement. When they know liability is clear, they will focus on limiting the value of your settlement, potentially even trying to blame you for part of your own accident. At Powers Law, LLC, our Greenwood, SC serious injury lawyer has the skills and experience needed to level the playing field. We can help you seek financial compensation for:

• Emergency room care;
• Medical expenses;
• Rehabilitative services;
• Psychological counseling;
• Lost wages;
• Diminished earning capacity;
• Pain and suffering;
• Mental distress;
• Permanent scarring;
• Permanent disability; and
• Reduced quality of life.

In some cases, punitive damages may also be awarded on top of compensatory damages (S.C. Code Ann § 15-32-510). Punitive damages are essentially penalty damages meant to punish extraordinarily bad actions by a defendant. While not available in your average personal injury claim, punitive compensation may be granted if a victim suffered a severe injury as a result of a defendant’s willful misconduct or extremely reckless actions.

One of the many challenges of dealing with a catastrophic injury claim is the victim is often left to deal with a long-term disability or a permanent impairment. It is crucial that a plaintiff is able to recover that maximum available financial compensation—fully accounting for the future impact of their injuries.

To start, this means that future medical bills, rehabilitative services, and loss of earning potential must be considered. Unfortunately, insurance companies will often try to undervalue these types of damages. You need an experienced serious injury lawyer who knows how to recover fair and just compensation for future damages.

Additionally, severely injured victims will have substantial non-economic damages. They have been forced to endure tremendous pain and suffering along with emotional distress. Beyond that, they may also have permanent scarring and impairments related to these accidents. These damages must be considered and accounted for in any settlement offer.

Michelle Powers is an experienced South Carolina catastrophic injury lawyer who knows how to handle even the most complex and challenging of serious injury cases. Attorney Powers graduated Cum Laude from the School of Nursing at Lander University in Greenwood, SC. For nearly a decade, she worked as a registered nurse (RN) in an emergency room and in a post-open heart surgery intensive care unit. She has truly unique experience assisting injured victims—understanding both the legal and medical side of these difficult cases. When you get in touch with our law office, you will get fully personalized, attentive legal representation that is focused on doing what is best for you and your family.

At Powers Law, LLC, our top-rated South Carolina personal injury attorney has the skills, experience, and training needed to handle the full range of catastrophic injury claims. If you or your loved one suffered a serious injury in an accident, we are here to help. For a free, no-obligation initial consultation, please contact our law firm right away. With an office in Greenwood, we represent injured victims throughout the region, including in Newberry, Saluda, Abbeville, and Laurens.

In South Carolina, most personal injury claims are brought under the state’s negligence standard. As described by the Cornell Legal Information Institute, negligence is the failure to act or behave with the level of care that an ordinary person would have used in a similar situation.

What constitutes negligence will always depend on the unique circumstances of the case. That being said, if another party—whether it is a motorist, a business, a manufacturer, or a property owner—acted in a careless or reckless manner and a serious accident occurred as a result, you need to speak to an experienced South Carolina personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. You may be entitled to financial compensation.

All successful serious injury claims are built on a sturdy and reliable foundation of carefully documented supporting evidence. Your accident should be comprehensively investigated by a top-rated attorney. As soon as you get in touch with our office, our team will take swift action to determine exactly what happened and to gather the evidence needed to prove liability.