- 23 + Years Experience
- 10,000 + Clients
Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Horry County, SC
Coastal Law is a law firm in Myrtle Beach, SC, that handles pedestrian accidents, personal injury and wrongful death cases in the Grand Strand area.
Are pedestrian accidents a serious issue in South Carolina?
According to the SC Department of Public Safety (DPS), one pedestrian is killed every 1.9 days in South Carolina.
That’s one death every other day for a year or 200 deaths in one year (2021). That’s just deaths and doesn’t include the people severely injured, hospitalized, or crippled by pedestrian auto crashes.
Why are there so many pedestrian deaths in our state? What can make our highways safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists?
Unfortunately, pedestrian accident lawyers cannot do much to prevent crashes apart from making the at-fault parties pay the maximum damages you are entitled to under the facts of the case and South Carolina law.
A Conway, SC, Pedestrian Accident Attorney Who Cares
Like motorcycle accidents and collisions with bicycles, pedestrian accidents often result in substantial injuries to an individual and may even result in death.
At Coastal Law, we understand that this is an incredibly stressful time for you and your family.
We are here to help you in the best way we can by handling the legal aspects of these unfortunate circumstances and making sure the at-fault parties are held accountable.
Mike Wells is a personal injury attorney with experience handling serious personal injury claims, including pedestrian accidents in South Carolina.
Pedestrian accident attorney Mike Wells is passionate about helping accident victims get justice for their injuries.
He has the experience and resources that you need to investigate the pedestrian crash, identify the responsible parties, negotiate with the defendants and insurance companies, and litigate your case up to a jury trial and appeal if it is not settled for full and fair compensation.
How Coastal Law Can Help You
When you call Coastal Law’s Myrtle Beach, SC, and Conway, SC, pedestrian accident law firm, we will take the time to speak with you about your case and answer your questions.
We don’t charge for the initial consultation.
Your Horry County pedestrian accident attorney at Coastal Law will:
- Travel to you if you are hospitalized or cannot leave home due to your injuries – you must speak to an attorney as soon as possible because the insurance defense lawyers are already working on your case to try to deny or limit your recovery,
- Take your phone calls, listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and keep you informed at all stages of your case,
- Investigate the accident and gather evidence from all available sources including formal discovery, subpoenas, FOIA requests, and witness interviews,
- Identify all potential defendants and sources of recovery,
- Assist you in retaining private investigators or expert witnesses as needed to assist in preparation of your case or to attempt to identify and locate a hit-and-run driver,
- Demand full and fair compensation from the defendants or insurance companies, and
- Take your case to a SC jury if your valid claim is not settled.
Why Call Coastal Law?
Mike Wells is a pedestrian accident attorney at Coastal Law Firm with:
- Decades of experience handling personal injury cases in the Grand Strand area including pedestrian crashes,
- A broad range of expert witnesses and private investigators available to assist as needed in the preparation of your case and testimony if needed,
- A proven track record of recovering full and fair damages on behalf of our clients,
- 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 Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Get Paid?
Pedestrian accident attorneys, like most 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 pedestrian accident cases, and you pay no attorney fees unless and until you are paid after a settlement or verdict at trial.
DID YOU KNOW…?
While driver negligence is a factor, sometimes the accidents involve pedestrian behavior contributing to the crash.
South Carolina has what’s known as a “contributory negligence” law. This means if a pedestrian’s actions are found to have contributed in any way to the accident, it can affect their ability to recover full compensation for injuries.
PEDESTRIAN Accident Law in SC
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.
The most common causes of pedestrian accidents caused by careless drivers include:
- Drivers failing to look for pedestrians crossing the road in the crosswalk,
- Drivers failing to stop at stop signs and streetlights,
- Drivers texting and talking on the phone while driving,
- Drivers who are intoxicated, and
- Drivers who are speeding.
South Carolina follows the doctrine of “comparative negligence,” which means, in a situation where the jurors find that a plaintiff is negligent, the plaintiff’s recovery is limited.
If the jurors find that the plaintiff is 50% or less at fault, their verdict is reduced by the percentage of fault allocated to the plaintiff by the jury.
If the jurors find that the plaintiff is more than 50% at fault, the plaintiff recovers nothing.
Unfortunately, many pedestrian accident cases are filed as wrongful death lawsuits.
As we have seen (200 pedestrian deaths in 2021 alone), South Carolina has a problem with pedestrian safety on our highways and city streets.
When a driver’s negligence causes a pedestrian’s death, we are here to help the pedestrian’s family recover the maximum damages they are entitled to receive under SC law and the facts of their case.
Pedestrian Accidents & Hit-and-Run Drivers
When a hit-and-run driver causes a pedestrian accident with injuries or death, there may still be an opportunity to recover damages.
Contact a Myrtle Beach pedestrian accident lawyer immediately because the hit-and-run driver will probably be arrested at some point.
Even if the hit-and-run driver is never found, there may be other options that you can explore to recover damages, including stackable uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, the SC State Victim’s Assistance Fund, or claims against other individuals or businesses whose negligence contributed to the crash.
PEDESTRIAN
ACCIDENT INJURY?
If you’ve been in a pedestrian accident in South Carolina, it’s important to be aware of your rights and to consult with an pedestrian accident attorney immediately.
SC Pedestrian Accident Laws – Drivers’ Duties
Who is at fault in a pedestrian crash?
It depends on who was negligent – if the driver breached a duty owed to the pedestrian, and it resulted in injury to the pedestrian, the driver is most likely liable.
What are a driver’s duties? Examples include:
- Be aware of their surroundings and exercise due care to prevent accidents with pedestrians,
- Give pedestrians the right of way in crosswalks,
- Slow down first before passing another vehicle that is stopped in the roadway to check that a pedestrian is not crossing the roadway in front of the stopped vehicle, and
- Wait for the road to be completely clear before moving from a stop when being directed by a crossing guard.
SC Pedestrian Accident Laws – Pedestrians’ Duties
If a pedestrian breaches a duty owed to the driver, then 1) the pedestrian probably cannot sue the driver, and 2) the pedestrian might be liable to the driver for damages.
What are a pedestrian’s duties? Examples include:
- Sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian bridges, and tunnels should be used in all cases when they are present,
- Abide by traffic control devices such as stop lights and pedestrian crosswalk buttons,
- If there isn’t a sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic, and
- Cross intersections by using the crosswalks horizontally and vertically unless a diagonal crosswalk is an option.
