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South Carolina’s right-of-way laws dictate which drivers have the right to proceed unimpeded at an intersection or in other situations. Yet, many drivers ignore the rules and cause accidents as a result.
The Melonakos Law Firm understands your plight and can help you seek fair compensation for a failure-to-yield car accident in Greenville. Our failure-to-yield accident lawyers can carefully review the evidence to show how a driver broke the law and caused the collision that injured you. We can also use your medical records, expert testimony, and other means to fully document your losses and seek maximum compensation for you. You won’t owe us anything unless we secure money for you.
Call now or complete our contact form for a free consultation with a Greenville auto accident lawyer.
At The Melonakos Law Firm, we understand how a failure-to-yield accident can affect your life in countless ways. Our firm is dedicated to providing compassionate counsel and personalized attention to each client. We intentionally limit our caseload to ensure you receive the focus and dedication your personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim deserves.
With over a decade of experience, our team has successfully recovered more than $50 million for our clients, including a recent case where our client recovered $946,105 for injuries in a rear-end collision with an ambulance. Furthermore, firm founder Mike Melonakos brings valuable insights from his background in insurance defense, which helps him anticipate and counter the strategies drivers and insurance companies use to contest claims.
However, it’s our commitment to client satisfaction that truly sets us apart. Here’s what one client said about their experience with our personal injury lawyers:
Failure-to-yield crashes happen when a driver does not slow down or stop and allow the motorist with the right-of-way to proceed. It can occur at intersections, when merging onto highways, or turning left across traffic, for example. These crashes often result from impatience, distraction, or misunderstanding traffic rules. They can cause serious injuries, especially at high speeds or in busy traffic areas.
South Carolina law includes many rules drivers must follow concerning who has the right-of-way in various situations. At intersections without traffic signals, drivers must yield to vehicles already in the intersection. When two cars approach an intersection simultaneously from different roads, the driver on the left must yield to the driver on the right.
Similarly, drivers must yield to oncoming traffic close enough to pose a hazard before turning left. When entering a roadway from a private road or driveway, drivers must yield to vehicles already traveling on the main road. At stop signs, drivers must stop completely and yield to any vehicle that has entered or is approaching the intersection.
A South Carolina law that affects people injured in car crashes is the statute of limitations. Under this law, an injured person has three years to file a lawsuit against the party that harmed them. If the lawsuit is filed after this deadline passes, the case will be dismissed without a hearing, and the injured person will lose the opportunity to pursue compensation in court.
While South Carolina’s right-of-way laws provide clear rules for who has the right-of-way, drivers often disagree on their actions, positions, or other factors when a crash occurred. You’ll need clear proof that the at-fault driver failed to yield the right-of-way to recover compensation.
Building a persuasive case often starts with examining the police report. The report may include diagrams, witness statements, and the officer’s opinion on who caused the crash. Eyewitnesses can provide key details about which vehicle entered the intersection first or whether a driver failed to stop when they were supposed to.
Traffic camera or dash cam footage can show how the collision unfolded from a neutral perspective. Furthermore, skid marks, vehicle damage, and debris patterns can help accident reconstruction experts determine the speed, angle, and timing of a collision. In some cases, vehicle black box data can provide additional evidence of the other driver’s failure to yield.
South Carolina follows a modified comparative negligence rule. Modified comparative negligence means you can recover compensation after a failure-to-yield accident even if you were partly at fault, so long as you were less than 51 percent responsible for the crash. However, your compensation will be reduced based on your share of fault. For example, if you were 20 percent at fault for speeding when the other driver failed to yield, your total award would be reduced by 20 percent. That means if, for example, you suffered $10,000 in damages, you could collect only $8,000.
Some examples of potential injuries from Greenville failure-to-yield accidents include:
You can recover compensation for your financial losses from a failure-to-yield accident and the pain and suffering the accident caused. For example, you can seek compensation for medical expenses, such as hospital bills, surgeries, medications, and ongoing rehabilitation. If your injuries kept you from working, you may also recover lost income and reduced future income. You can also seek compensation for non-economic losses like physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Let our personal injury attorneys simplify your life during this chaotic time by handling all the legal work in your case. We’ll start by gathering evidence to show how the other driver broke the law. Simultaneously, we’ll use your medical records, expert testimony, and other evidence to document your losses.
Once the investigation is complete, we’ll send a demand letter to the other driver’s insurance company outlining why you should receive compensation and how much you’re demanding. We’ll handle settlement negotiations while preparing your case for a possible trial. We will be fully prepared to fight for you in court if a trial is necessary.
The Melonakos Law Firm can provide the forceful yet compassionate legal help you need after a failure-to-yield crash in Greenville. Call now or complete our contact form for a free case review from our Greenville car accident lawyer.
