Available 24/7
South Carolina car accident attorney with considerable experience helping clients who’ve been permanently scarred obtain just compensation and move forward with increased confidence.
If a negligent driver causes you to be permanently scarred in a car accident, you’re facing unique challenges. Disfiguring injuries come with a strong emotional component that can be life-altering. If you find yourself in this incredibly difficult situation, seek the professional legal guidance of a car accident lawyer in South Carolina today.
Your Accident-Related Damages
In your car accident claim, you can seek compensation for your damages (or losses) that include:
- Your medical expenses
- Your lost earnings
- Your pain and suffering
When it comes to permanent scarring, you will likely experience medical expenses related to the treatment and care you need for the underlying injury that led to the scarring in the first place – and for the lost earnings that accompany the healing process. In addition to the pain and suffering you endure as a result of that injury, there is the agony that goes along with bearing a permanent scar on your body, which can be exceptionally difficult to overcome. Part of this amounts to a loss of self-confidence. The law recognizes this suffering and assigns values – in terms of damages – according to how visible the scar is. This means that a scar on or near your face is considered permanently disfiguring and will likely generate more damage than a scar concealed by your clothing.
Burn Scars
While most scars are cosmetic matters, burn scars can be very different. Hypertrophic burn scars have a different texture and appearance than the surrounding skin, and they can cause physical problems, including:
- Decreased mobility in the affected area
- Increased sensitivity to chemicals, warmth, and the sun in the affected area
- Susceptibility to irritation and infection
Advocating for Just Compensation
Insurance companies are in the business of making money and are adept at minimizing settlements in any number of creative ways. A common example is attempting to pooh-pooh the damaging effects of permanent scarring. Toward this end, the insurance company has many powerful tools at its disposal.
Offering You an Early, Lowball Settlement
A favorite of insurance companies far and wide is offering early settlement offers that come in well under the cost of damages experienced by claimants. You have mounting medical costs, lost earnings, and serious emotional consequences related to your injuries and subsequent scarring, which can leave you desperate for financial compensation and willing to accept almost any offer. After all, something is better than nothing. The insurance company is well aware of the emotional consequences that often accompany permanent scarring and are not ashamed to prey on it. Before accepting an early settlement offer, it’s always in your best interest to consult with a dedicated South Carolina car accident attorney who is up to speed on your claim.
Making the Claims Process as Lengthy as Possible
The claims process for car accident claims is lengthy and complicated to begin with. Still, if the insurance company takes it upon itself to make it artificially more so, it can push you toward simply accepting defeat. The emotional consequences of permanent scarring can exacerbate this effect, and the insurance company recognizes this fact. While there are laws in place to hold the insurance company in check without pushback (from your savvy car accident attorney), they’re likely to lose sight of this fact.
Shifting Blame
The insurance company may attempt to impose blame on you – and away from their policyholder (the negligent driver who left you with a permanent scar). The insurance company is counting on you to succumb to human nature and begin blaming yourself in the matter. After all, if you hadn’t been driving to the grocery store (or wherever), the injury-causing accident wouldn’t have happened. Don’t fall for this reverse psychology stuff. It is also important to recognize that, in South Carolina – even if you are partly responsible for the accident that leaves you injured – it does not negate your legal right to seek compensation for the percentage of damages the other motorist is responsible for (as long as you bear no more than 50 percent of the blame).
Casting Doubt
Another tactic that insurance companies keep in heavy rotation is casting doubt on the severity of the damages that claimants report. This is where the insurance company may swoop in and pooh-pooh the seriousness of your permanent scar. It may not be serious to the insurance company, but it is to you, which is important here.
A Note about the Car Insurance Company
Claimants tend to think that what the insurance company tells them goes and that, once the insurance company has spoken, there isn’t much wiggle room in terms of compensation, but this isn’t how it works. The insurance company faces considerable legal constraints that it must adhere to. While you – on your own – would have a difficult time holding the company accountable, your accomplished car accident attorney is much better positioned and prepared to do so. Suppose the insurance company refuses to negotiate fairly in relation to your settlement. In that case, your car accident lawyer will advise you to file a lawsuit against it, which may motivate the insurance company to see things your way. Ultimately, the court has the final say in these matters (unless settlements can be reached).
An Experienced Car Accident Lawyer in Charleston Is Standing by to Help
Suppose another driver’s negligence leaves you with a permanent scar. In that case, you’re facing unique challenges that should be specifically addressed in your car accident claim, and the well-respected South Carolina car accident attorneys at David Aylor Law Offices can help you with that. We have a wealth of impressive experience defending the rights of scarred accident victims like you, and we’re committed to helping you, too. To learn more, please do not hesitate to contact or call us at 843-548-1574 to schedule your free consultation today.