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Shealey Law Firm represents accident and injury victims in Columbia, South Carolina and the surrounding areas. Our Columbia personal injury lawyers want you to receive justice and fair compensation. Contact us to talk about your case and begin.
Lawyers for Personal Injury in Columbia, South Carolina
When you are injured unexpectedly, you put your trust in a lawyer to get the financial payment that you deserve. You need your compensation quickly. It’s important to have a seasoned lawyer to assist you in handling your case, because trust is everything.
Shealey Law Firm is an experienced team of personal injury lawyers serving Columbia, South Carolina and the nearby region. Victims rely on us when they need legal help following an injury.
Start today by contacting us. We can talk about your case, what it might be worth and the legal process. If you’re ready to begin, we can start representing you right away.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
- Car accidents: When a car accident isn’t your fault, you deserve fair compensation for your medical bills, lost income and personal suffering.
- Truck accidents: Truck accidents can cause devastating injuries. We know how to hold the responsible parties accountable.
- Motorcycle accidents: Motorcyclists deserve to be treated fairly by the insurance company. We fight for your rights.
- Pedestrian accidents: When we represent a pedestrian accident victim, we make sure that your injuries and damages are compensated fairly.
- Boat accidents: Boat collisions can be complex when fault is disputed. Let us investigate and build your case.
- Slip and fall accidents: When a slip and fall changes your life in an instant, we’re here to help you get financial relief.
- Premises liability: Dangerous property conditions can cause serious injury. Get serious legal representation when you work with our law firm.
- Medical malpractice: Count on us to investigate what occurred. We seek answers and accountability for what happened.
- Nursing home abuse: Nursing home abuse devastates its victims. We’re here to be the voice for you or your loved one.
- Dog bites: Dog attack victims may deserve compensation. Let us explain options for pursuing your case.
- Catastrophic injuries: Serious injuries deserve special attention. We look at your current situation and your future, handling your case in full.
- Wrongful death: We are compassionate and experienced lawyers who can represent you if you have lost a loved one.
Legal Representation for Injuries in South Carolina
Our personal injury lawyers want you to know:
- Victims may receive financial compensation.
- Intentional harm is not required. You may qualify for compensation, even if it was an accident.
- To get a payment, you must bring a case.
- Bringing a case means evaluating who is responsible and the value of your case.
- Damages may include economic and non-economic losses. Your case may be worth more than you think.
- A personal injury lawyer can represent you.
South Carolina law protects accident and injury victims. You have important legal rights, and you may use them to claim financial compensation. However, it’s not enough to have a great case – You must take the steps of bringing a claim.
The Shealey Law Firm Columbia personal injury lawyers can represent you in seeking compensation when you are hurt by someone else. Rely on our professional assistance throughout our case, from start to finish.
Start today by discussing your case with our legal team.
Steps in a Personal Injury Case
The steps in getting justice in a personal injury case begin right away – long before a case ever goes to court. As soon as we represent you, we get to work building your case.
Here is an example of how your case may proceed through the various steps in a personal injury case:
Preserving evidence
Immediately following the incident, we work to preserve evidence including tangible evidence and identification of witnesses. We talk to witnesses while memories are still fresh. We ensure there is an accident report, if appropriate, and we take other steps to preserve information that may be valuable in the future.
Investigating fault
An injury claim must be brought against the party or parties responsible. Sometimes, there are multiple parties at fault. A party may have legal fault even if they aren’t present when the injury occurs. Our lawyers understand the legal standards. We investigate who may be named in the claim and the legal causes of action.
Documenting damages
The purpose of a personal injury claim is to compensate the victim for their losses. The amount of compensation is specific to the person and what happened. Your losses that qualify for compensation are called damages.
Documenting your damages is an important step to make sure that you are fully compensated. Our legal team knows what types of losses are included. We know how to value and document damages as part of your legal claim.
Preparing legal documents
Your first legal documents are the foundation of the case. The documents must comply with procedural requirements. They must name the correct defendants and accurately state your legal causes of action. It’s important that your legal documents are complete. Our lawyers prepare and file your legal documents.
Building your legal strategy
There are court rules and procedures that apply in injury cases. You can use these rules to build evidence, ask the court to rule on certain issues before trial and narrow the issues in dispute. Taking advantage of these options with a careful legal strategy can set your case up for success. Whether you choose to take your case to trial or proceed to settlement negotiations, effectively utilizing pre-trial procedures can prepare your case for what’s next.
Resolving your case
A case is a success for a client if it reaches a good result by trial or by settlement. Our team engages in the appropriate settlement negotiations, but we are also prepared for trial. We guide you through making decisions in your case so you have the important information to decide how to resolve it. We also take care of any necessary post-judgment matters.
Each case is different. Each person and family we represent deserves a unique strategy. We investigate your personal situation and how we might pursue your case. We’ll discuss the options and what to consider as we customize our representation for your personal injury case.
Experienced Lawyers – Representation You Can Trust
Shealey Law Firm is a team of Columbia personal injury lawyers dedicated to helping injured individuals and their families.
Highlights of our law firm, and some of the reasons people choose our experienced team are:
- Local knowledge and services: We know the Columbia courts and the local details that may make a difference for you. We have admissions to South Carolina state and federal courts.
- Experience in the law: Our legal team is widely experienced in personal injury and civil litigation. We’ve tried cases and negotiated settlements. If your case involves complex legal issues or large damages, we are prepared to address them in full for your interests.
- Personal commitment: The personal toll that a personal injury takes is great. We appreciate how important it is to have legal representation that is committed to your interests.
- Big picture representation: Becoming a personal injury victim impacts many aspects of your life. As your advocates, we examine all the ways you may be impacted and how we can best help you. Reach out any time you have a comment or question.
Get to know our experienced team and learn about how we may serve you by asking for your free consultation.
Understanding Personal Injury Claims
I’m injured – How do I know if I have a personal injury?
A personal injury is an injury that is someone else’s fault legally. Most legal fault is based on negligence.
Negligence is a lack of reasonable or ordinary care. It’s the basic standard of behavior that everyone has when they owe a duty of care to another person. It’s how a reasonable person should act in each situation. It varies from case to case.
For example, a reasonable person follows traffic laws. Speeding is unreasonable, or an example of negligence. Following too closely or an improper lane change are other common examples. In another context, a store owner leaving a spill on the ground where customers can slip may be another example of negligence. Recklessness and intentional harm are other legal grounds for personal injury.
The idea behind personal injury claims is that the victim shouldn’t have to bear the consequences of the harm that has occurred. They have medical bills. They may also have lost income and property damage. They suffer physical pain, emotional anguish and mental harm.
It’s the person or party responsible for causing the injury who should pay for these losses. Compensation alone cannot undo physical or emotional injury, but it can provide financial help, justice and resolution. It can cover financial losses and represent what the victim has endured.
To see if you have a personal injury claim, we invite you to have a consultation with our Columbia personal injury lawyers at Shealey Law Firm. We can discuss the specifics of your claim. Our team can investigate legal fault and how you may receive compensation.
Columbia location and directions
Our address:
1507 Richland St
Columbia, SC 29201
We are located in the heart of Columbia near the corner of Bull Street and Richland Street.
Take any major road into Columbia. SC-277, U.S. 76, U.S. 1, and U.S. 21 are some of the main roads leading into the city. SC-277 changes into Bull Street traveling south. You can also turn onto Bull Street from Elmwood Avenue or Gervais Street. Richland Street does not directly connect to Harden Street from the east, but you can turn onto Richland from Gregg Street. There is a traffic light at Bull and Richland.
Our offices are on the north side of the street. We are in one of the historic residential homes now used by businesses on Richland Street. The building is olive green with white trim and stairs on either side. There is a slanted, red metal roof. A small sign out front has our law firm name on it.
Parking is available on the street as well as in our rear parking lot.
Public transportation
There are many COMET bus routes that travel near 1507 Richland Street including the 301, 3, 93X, 12 and 42 routes. Most of the routes pass by Bull and Richland or Bull and Laurel Street. Bus service hours extend beyond our regular business hours. A single fare is $2.00 or $1.00 for passengers qualifying for a discounted rate.
In addition to routes passing near our building, our offices are only a seven-minute walk from COMET Central which serves as the hub of Columbia’s downtown public transportation.
Nearby places of interest
Nearby landmarks and businesses are the Historic Columbia house and gardens, 1425 Inn and the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens. We are a few blocks from the Babcock Building of the South Carolina State Hospital and the Prisma Health Baptist Hospital. The University of South Carolina is approximately one mile or seven blocks to the south. Benedict College is six blocks east of our location.
Columbia, SC Personal Injury – FAQs
What court will hear my personal injury case in Columbia, South Carolina?
Most personal injury cases begin before the Circuit Court of Common Pleas. In Columbia, South Carolina, this is the Richland County Circuit Court. There are also magistrate courts that hear civil cases up to a certain amount. However, most personal injury cases are above that amount, so they begin in Circuit Court.
Some cases are heard in other courts. It depends on where your injury occurred, who is responsible and whether the circumstances are appropriate to bring the case in state or federal court. Our lawyers can determine where to file your case.
How do you start a personal injury case?
To start a personal injury case in South Carolina, you must formally file a summons and complaint and pay the legal fee. South Carolina also requires a Civil Action Coversheet which tells the court the kind of case you have. Reporting an accident to an insurance company or completing an incident report is insufficient. Formally starting a case requires submitting filing documents to the court.
What is the statute of limitations for personal injury in South Carolina?
The statute of limitations for personal injury in South Carolina is three years in most cases, under S.C. Code § 15-3-530. There are important exceptions and exclusions. For example, when a claim is against a government entity, the time limit is shortened to two years.
Don’t assume it’s too late, but also don’t wait to contact us.
How much does it cost to file a personal injury case in South Carolina?
The filing fee for a new personal injury case in South Carolina is $150. S.C. Code § 15-37-10 authorizes costs of pursuing the action to be awarded to the prevailing party.
Are there damage caps in personal injury cases in South Carolina?
Damage caps apply in South Carolina personal injury cases only in limited circumstances. If the case is against a unit of government, a cap may apply. Non-economic damages may be capped in medical malpractice cases. Finally, punitive damages are capped in personal injury cases at $500,000 or three times the compensatory damages award, whichever is greater.
Taking New Cases – Talk to a Lawyer
We invite you to talk to the Shealey Law Firm Columbia, SC personal injury lawyers today. We are currently taking new cases, and we are available 24/7.
At your consultation, we’ll gather some information from you. We’ll ask you to explain what happened. We’ll probably have some questions, and we will answer your questions, too. Then, we talk about how representation works and how you may benefit from our services.
For a free consultation with our Columbia personal injury lawyers, contact Shealey Law Firm today. There’s no cost to talk about your case with our legal team.
Start Today! Contact Us
We look forward to working with you and helping you with your personal injury case.