- 23 + Years Experience
- 10,000 + Clients
Coastal Law is a car accident law firm in Myrtle Beach, SC, accepting personal injury and wrongful death cases in the Grand Strand area.
With millions of visitors to the Grand Strand area each year, Horry County has a high rate of car crashes affecting residents and tourists visiting Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Surfside Beach.
Whether you suffered a broken arm due to another driver’s negligence or your family member was killed by a drunk driver, Coastal Law is here to help you pick up the pieces by handling the legal aspects of your case. At the same time, you focus on recovery and family.
Mike Wells is a car accident attorney with experience handling serious accident injury claims, including car accidents in South Carolina.
Attorney Mike Wells is passionate about helping accident victims get justice for their injuries. We will do everything legally and ethically possible to help you recover the maximum damages you are entitled to receive under the facts of your case and South Carolina law.
A Conway, SC, Car Accident Attorney Who Cares
Like motorcycle accidents and collisions with bicycles, car accidents often result in substantial injuries to an individual and may even result in death.
Crash victims turn to Coastal Law for help when:
- They have suffered injuries because of another driver’s negligence,
- A drunk or reckless driver has killed a family member,
- The insurance company is attempting to deny or limit their claim,
- They need an experienced car accident lawyer who will take on the insurance defense firms if they refuse to pay your claim, or
- They are seeking a car accident attorney who has successfully handled hundreds of serious personal injury claims in Horry County and Georgetown County courtrooms.
How Coastal Law Can Help You
When you call Coastal Law’s Myrtle Beach, SC, and Conway, SC, car accident law firm, we will answer your questions and discuss your case without charging you for the initial consultation.
Your Horry County car accident attorney at Coastal Law will:
- Meet with you to learn about your case and answer your questions,
- Keep you informed at all stages of your case, promptly responding to phone calls or other communications,
- Investigate the car accident, identifying all potential defendants and insurance policies,
- Help you to locate and retain the right investigators, expert witnesses, or consultants when needed to prove your claims and prepare your case for trial,
- Settle your case for full and fair compensation based on the facts of your case and SC law, and
- Try your case to a jury if the defendants or insurance companies do not pay.
Why Call Coastal Law?
Mike Wells is a car accident attorney at Coastal Law Firm with:
- The experience you need to settle your car accident claim or try your case to a jury when necessary,
- Extensive experience with personal injury cases in Myrtle Beach including car accidents,
- Expert witnesses, consultants, and investigators on call to assist in your case when needed,
- Four South Carolina offices including offices in Myrtle Beach, SC, Conway, SC, Charleston, SC, and Columbia, SC, and
- Compassion for our clients and a desire to help our neighbors in our local communities whenever possible.
How Do Car Accident Lawyers Get Paid?
Car accident attorneys, like most types of accident and personal injury lawyers, are usually paid on a contingency basis.
This means there is no fee to consult us on any personal injury case, including car accident cases, and you pay no attorney fees unless and until you are paid after a settlement or verdict at trial.
DID YOU KNOW…?
In South Carolina, it’s a “No-Fault” insurance state with limitations.
This means you’ll file a claim with your own insurance company for medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused the accident, up to your policy limits.
Exceptions exist; for example, severe injuries or exceeding policy limits may allow you to claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance.
Explore Car
Accident Law
Over 23+ years, we’ve gained in-depth knowledge of the relevant laws, regulations, and court decisions, which allows us to represent our clients better.
Who is at fault in a car crash?
Liability is determined by negligence. A driver is negligent if he or she:
- Owes a duty of care to other drivers on the road (to keep a proper lookout or to follow the traffic laws, for example),
- Breaches that duty of care (by running a red light, for example), and
- Their breach causes damage to another driver (while running the red light, they T-bone your car).
Many people still believe that the purpose of insurance companies is to pay claims when an accident happens.
The truth is that insurance companies exist to make profits, and they will only pay many claims when they are forced to pay them (or the court is about to force them to pay).
To settle your case (or win at trial), you must be prepared to prove both liability and damages to the insurance company, and you must be willing and able to prove your case to a jury if the insurance companies do not pay full and fair compensation.
Unfortunately, many car accident cases are filed as wrongful death lawsuits.
When another driver’s negligence causes someone’s death, we are here to help the crash victim’s family recover the maximum damages they are entitled to receive under SC law and the facts of their case.
The personal representative of the deceased’s estate is responsible for contacting a wrongful death car accident attorney and collecting damages from the at-fault party and their insurance company.
South Carolina follows the doctrine of “comparative negligence.”
This means that, if the plaintiff is at fault in the crash, they might still be allowed to recover damages if they are not more than 50% at fault.
If the jurors find that you are 50% or less at fault, you still recover damages, but your verdict is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to you.
If the jurors find that you are more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing.
Note that this is different than the “contributory negligence rule” followed in NC, where a plaintiff is completely barred from recovering damages if she or he has any fault at all in the accident.
injured in a car accident?
What Should You Do After a Car Accident?
- Get emergency medical attention if you are seriously injured,
- Cooperate with the investigating officer but do not make any admissions regarding fault,
- Ensure the police officer has truthful and reliable information to record in their accident report,
- Don’t move the vehicles unless required to do so by the law or a police officer instructs you to move them,
- Take pictures of the scene, the vehicles, and any injuries,
- Get the names and phone numbers of potential witnesses,
- Keep a log of all accident-related activities including visits to hospitals or doctors, and the dates, times, and purpose of visits,
- Contact your car accident attorney immediately, and
- Do not sign any releases or accept any “final payments” from an insurance company until you have made sure that you understand your rights. Always consult an attorney first.
How Much Is My Car Accident Case Worth?
How much your car accident case is worth will depend on many things, including the severity of your injuries.
The categories of damages that you may be entitled to recover include:
- Medical expenses and future medical expenses,
- Pain and suffering,
- Property damage,
- Scarring or disfigurement,
- Lost wages,
- Loss of future earning capacity, and
- Punitive damages when appropriate.
