Tractor-Trailer Accident

What is Underinsurance and Why Do I Need It?

June 1, 2015 | by Scott M. Anderson

I will never forget the first time I renewed my car insurance after I finished law school. Going to law school I was a typical poor student. My approach to car insurance was to get as little and spend as little money on insurance as possible. I did not want to pay for any extra bells and whistles; I just wanted to be legal. Many people take this approach. Underinsured coverage always felt like something I didn’t need because I did not understand it. Only at the end of law school at the beginning of my legal career handling car accident cases did I come to appreciate the importance of underinsured motorist coverage. I want to address how underinsured motorist coverage applies in car accident cases. Uninsured motorist coverage is a different type of coverage and will be discussed in another blog.

Underinsured coverage only comes into play when the driver who caused the accident does not have enough insurance. For example, you could easily be involved in an accident with a driver that does not have enough insurance. In North Carolina, the mandatory minimum amount of liability insurance is $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident. This means that in minimum coverage insurance situations, an at-fault driver has $30,000 payable to any one person, and $60,000 in coverage payable on any one accident, regardless of the number of injured claimants. In South Carolina, it’s even less: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. If another driver with minimum limits fails to slow down and hits you hard in the rear, you will likely have EMS expenses, emergency room bills, doctors’ bills and physical therapy. If you have an MRI or CT scan, and then consider your pain and suffering, your claim is very likely to exceed the minimum coverage available. If the at-fault driver doesn’t have enough car insurance to cover your claim, the next place you have to look is your own underinsured coverage.

What is A Contingency Fee for Lawyers?

March 19, 2015 | by Scott M. Anderson

A frequent question from our clients is how do contingency fees work? We do almost all of our personal injury work on a contingency fee basis. That means the fee is a percentage of the amount we recover for the client. Depending on the kind of case, contingency fees can range from 25% to 40%. Also depending on the kind of case, certain amounts recovered are not subject to the contingency fee. There is an infinite variety of ways to structure a contingency fee.

Contingency fees have significant advantage over hourly fees. If you hire a lawyer on an hourly basis, typically they are going to require an upfront payment and then bill monthly. The attorney will expect to get paid monthly. If the client stops paying, then the attorney will stop working and move to terminate the relationship. Most insurance companies pay their lawyers either on an hourly basis or sometimes on a flat fee basis. In a contingency fee case, the lawyer gets a part of the recovery. Said another way, the lawyer doesn’t get paid unless the client gets paid. Often times our cases run on for years, and most clients can’t afford to pay attorneys on an hourly basis for years. Our clients prefer contingency fees because it is financially the best way for them to hire a lawyer to protect their interest.

How Much Is My Wreck Case Worth?

March 13, 2015 | by Scott M. Anderson

One of my clients’ favorite questions is what is my case worth? We do lots of car wreck cases. During our 25 years of handling these kinds of cases, I have come up with some guidelines on how to evaluate a wreck case. First,let me say that you are welcome to a free consultation at our office to discuss case value. We are looking for cases where we can improve your case value.

It’s important to know that the evaluation is half art and half science. There is no formula that will tell you what the case is worth. It is never as easy as multiply your bills by three to arrive at a value. The real test of the value of the case is what your local jury would do with the case. However, I think people look for the same kinds of information when they’re evaluating what cases are worth. Even when I am discussing settlement with an insurance adjuster, the touchstone for value is what a jury would think. You need an experienced trial lawyer to help you with your evaluation. Continue Reading

As U.S. Auto Fatalities Decline, Hundreds Die in S.C. Car Accidents

February 28, 2015 | by Grimes Teich Anderson LLP

Year-end federal statistics show a decline in motor vehicle accident fatalities from 2012 to 2013, including an 11 percent drop in South Carolina. Even so, more than 1,000 S.C. drivers were involved in fatal accidents in 2013 and more than 600 drivers, passengers, pedestrians, or cyclists died in those accidents.

In its latest safety report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that fatalities on U.S. roadways were lower in 2013 than in 2012. The nation lost 32,719 people in crashes on roadways during 2013, down 3 percent from 33,782 in 2012. Traffic fatalities have been trending downward since 2006, except for a slight rise in 2012.

According to the NHTSA report, South Carolina had 767 fatal crashes in 2013. Those crashes resulted in the deaths of 488 people in passenger cars, 100 pedestrians, and 15 bicyclists or other cyclists. Those wrecks included 335 that involved alcohol impaired driving, down 3.8 percent from 2012 and 306 speeding related fatalities, down 4.9 percent from 2012.

A Car Accident Could Cost You $60K, says CDC

January 16, 2015 | by Grimes Teich Anderson LLP

It’s widely understood that a serious car accident can instantly change your life. But very few motorists understand the true financial costs of a car wreck. In a recent report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put the costs at tens of thousands of dollars.

On average, according to the CDC report, going to the emergency room after a car crash will cost the victim about $3,300. If a crash victim is hospitalized, the cost of the wreck rises to about $57,000 over his or her lifetime. More than 75 percent of those costs will be incurred within 18 months of the car accident.

More than 5.6 million car accidents were reported to police in 2012, according to the latest study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 33,500 people died in those crashes. Continue Reading

Worried about Your Teen’s Driving? Get Them a Seat in a BMW (Teen Driving School)!

December 1, 2014 | by Grimes Teich Anderson LLP

If you want to do everything possible to keep your teen driver safe, perhaps it is time to put them in the seat of a BMW – or at least the company’s skills program for new drivers. The BMW Teen Driving School (BMW TDS) is a grassroots, community outreach initiative. Developed by BMW, it gives teenage drivers the important life-saving skills and experience they need behind the wheel. The program is based on the teen curriculum currently taught at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg. It is available at no charge to all drivers between the age of 15 and 21, so long as they have a valid learner’s permit or driver’s license.

Students are taught in a controlled environment setting. They are given the opportunity to not only drive a BMW, but to take part in driving exercises that teach them how to respond in real-life, emergency situations, including:

• Recovering from a skid or slide • Maintaining control of the vehicle and regaining control when the circumstances warrant • Accident avoidance techniques • Handling an unexpected braking or panic stop • Learning how to focus on where their vehicle needs to be, rather than fixating on what they are attempting to avoid

Does Google Glass Cause Car Accidents?

November 28, 2014 | by Grimes Teich Anderson LLP

One of the latest and most sought-after technological advancements is Google Glass. Google Glass is a wearable technology fitted with an optical display that allows wearers to see digital information, like that from a smartphone, right in front of their eyes. With Google Glass, wearers can see as they would through ordinary glasses while using the device hands-free. They are able to receive phone calls, read emails, and engage in any other online activities. A benefit of Google Glass is that it gives people a chance to continue to stay connected, even when away from the desk, when enroute to a meeting, or during other activities. Google Glass has even been introduced into medical procedures, showing promise as a training tool.

The Impact Google Glass May Have on Your Vision

What about the drawbacks? What risks does Google Glass pose? Could the design of Google Glass be a contributing factor in car accidents?

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Driving in South Carolina

July 21, 2014 | by Scott M. Anderson

From fender-benders to major catastrophes, car accidents are a fact of life on South Carolina roads. Nearly everyone knows somebody who has been in an accident, and we all know the basic rules for protecting ourselves: drive defensively, put down the cell phone, and always wear a seat belt.

But there are plenty of things that South Carolina residents don’t know about car accidents in our state – or the state of our roads and highways. You probably knew that rollover accidents were dangerous – but did you know that half of all car crash deaths occur when a vehicle leaves the roadway?

Here are five more things you probably didn’t know about South Carolina car accidents:

Fewer Carolina Trucking Accidents Possible with Hours-of-Service Rules

June 28, 2013 | by Grimes Teich Anderson LLP

A recent tractor-trailer crash quite literally created a fowl mess on I-20 in Louisiana when the 64-year-old driver, hailing from a North Carolina trucking company, overturned his rig, spilling some 30,000 pounds of frozen chicken meat all over the highway.The scene took hours to clear, but our Asheville trucking accident lawyers are thankful that no one was killed or seriously injured. The driver was later cited for careless operation.

We can’t say whether driver fatigue contributed to this particular crash, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration attributes drowsiness as the primary cause of 13 percent of commercial trucking accidents nationwide. In an effort to combat this problem, the agency has introduced a new set of mandatory rules regarding hours of service for truckers and other commercial drivers, set to go into effect July 1.

The rules have been met with fierce backlash from the trucking industry, which has filed lawsuits, testified before Congress and made extensive complaints to national media outlets. It’s been nearly five years since the FMCSA first introduced the rules, and after a fair amount of tweaking in response to the opposition, the rules are slated to be enacted without further delay.

Fatal Crashes in South Carolina on the Rise

June 25, 2013 | by Grimes Teich Anderson LLP

A recent tractor-trailer crash on I-77 in South Carolina left two people dead.Investigators report it was about 6 a.m. when the commercial tractor-trailer ran off the right side of the highway, slid down an embankment and slammed into several trees. The two people who were inside the truck, including the driver, were killed.

The aftermath of this kind of tragic event is one that our Greenville trucking accident lawyers are sadly seeing more and more of these days, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association reporting a 5.3 percent uptick in traffic fatalities nationally over the last year.

Although that percentage is based on preliminary reports, officials don’t expect it will fluctuate dramatically.