Personal Injury Lawyer Ravenel, SC

Quick Answer: If someone else’s negligence injured you in Ravenel, you can generally recover medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering from that person’s or company’s insurer. Ravenel is in Charleston County, so most injury lawsuits are filed in the Charleston County Court of Common Pleas at 100 Broad Street. Most claims must be filed within three years, two years for claims against government entities, and special rules can limit claims involving horse-related activities.

On this page:

• Where is a Ravenel injury case handled?
• What crashes do we see on U.S. 17 and rural roads?
• What about injuries involving farm equipment?
• What if you were hurt in a horse-related accident?
• What about dog attacks in rural areas?
• Who is responsible for injuries on rural property?
• What if you were hurt at a public park?
• What can you recover?
• How are medical bills handled?
• What should you do after an injury?

Where Is a Ravenel Personal Injury Case Handled?

A lawsuit may also be filed where a defendant lives or does business, which can occasionally point to another county, such as Dorchester or Colleton, when the other party is based there.

What Crashes Do We See on U.S. 17 and Rural Roads?

U.S. 17 through Ravenel carries heavy traffic between Charleston and the coast, including trucks and travelers at highway speeds, with driveways and crossroads entering the highway. Crashes at those intersections, rear-end collisions with turning vehicles and head-on crashes on two-lane roads such as Highway 165 and Highway 162 can be severe. Rural roads also bring collisions with slow-moving farm equipment and logging trucks. Our Ravenel car accident lawyers page explains these claims.

What About Injuries Involving Farm Equipment?

Tractors, harvesters and other farm equipment on public roads must be operated carefully and, where required, display proper slow-moving vehicle emblems and lighting. A collision may involve the equipment operator, the farm that employs the operator, or the driver who approached too fast. On private property, injuries involving farm machinery may raise questions about who was in control and whether the injured person was a worker, a guest or a customer.

What If You Were Hurt in a Horse-Related Accident?

Horseback riding and other equine activities are part of life around Ravenel. South Carolina’s Equine Activity Liability Act, S.C. Code Section 47-9-710 et seq., generally limits the liability of equine activity sponsors and professionals for injuries resulting from the inherent risks of those activities, and requires certain warning signs and contract language. However, the law has exceptions, such as when a sponsor provided faulty tack or equipment, failed to reasonably match a rider with a suitable horse, or acted with willful or wanton disregard for safety. Whether a claim survives depends heavily on the facts and the paperwork, so keep any release you signed and photographs of the equipment.

What About Dog Attacks in Rural Areas?

Under S.C. Code Section 47-3-110, a dog’s owner or caretaker is generally liable when the dog bites or attacks someone in a public place or lawfully on private property, unless provoked. In rural areas, attacks by dogs running loose on roads or neighboring land are a recurring problem. Report the attack to Charleston County animal control, get medical care and document the owner’s information.

Who Is Responsible for Injuries on Rural Property?

Property owners generally must keep their property reasonably safe for invited guests and customers and warn of hidden dangers. On rural land, injuries can involve rotten docks and stairs, uncovered wells and holes, unsafe outbuildings and ponds. The owner’s duty depends on why you were there: customers and invited guests receive more protection than trespassers.

What If You Were Hurt at a Public Park?

Ravenel is home to Caw Caw Interpretive Center, a Charleston County park. Injuries caused by unsafe conditions at public parks are generally governed by the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, which requires suit within two years, limits damages and provides certain immunities. Report the injury to park staff and photograph the condition promptly.

What Can You Recover in a Ravenel Injury Claim?

Generally, medical expenses, lost wages and earning capacity, pain and suffering, and compensation for permanent impairment or scarring. Under South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence rule from Nelson v. Concrete Supply Co., 303 S.C. 243, 399 S.E.2d 783 (1991), your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and you cannot recover if you were more at fault than the other side. Most claims must be filed within three years under S.C. Code Section 15-3-530.

How Are Medical Bills Handled?

While the claim is pending, your health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or MedPay usually pays first, and those payers may need to be reimbursed from the recovery. Serious rural injuries often involve emergency transport and trauma care, so keep every bill and explanation of benefits.

What Should You Do After an Injury in Ravenel?

• Get medical care promptly;
• Report the incident to law enforcement or the property owner;
• Photograph the scene, equipment, animals or hazards involved;
• Collect witness names and phone numbers;
• Keep any releases or contracts you signed; and
• Avoid recorded statements to the other side’s insurer before talking with a lawyer.

What About Pond, Boating and Water Injuries?

Ravenel and the surrounding area have farm ponds, creeks and access to the Stono and Edisto river systems. Boat operators must use reasonable care, and operating a boat while impaired is a crime under S.C. Code Section 50-21-112. On private land, a property owner who invites guests to swim, fish or boat may be responsible for hazards such as unsafe docks or submerged obstructions the owner knew about. Children are especially at risk around unfenced ponds and pools, and drowning cases require prompt investigation.

When Should You Settle a Ravenel Injury Claim?

Generally, not until your doctors can describe your long-term condition, because once you sign a release, the claim is over even if you later need more treatment. Serious rural injuries, such as those from high-speed crashes or horse falls, can take months to stabilize. If treatment takes longer than the filing deadline allows, we can file suit to protect your rights while you continue to recover. We also confirm what health insurers or government programs paid, since those amounts may need to be repaid from the settlement.

Related pages: Our main North Charleston personal injury lawyer and Charleston personal injury lawyer pages explain this practice area in more depth. Clients in Ravenel also turn to our Ravenel car accident lawyer, Ravenel workplace injury lawyer, Ravenel medical malpractice lawyer, Ravenel wrongful death lawyer and Ravenel criminal defense lawyer pages, and we handle the same kinds of cases for clients who need a personal injury lawyer in Hollywood or a personal injury lawyer in Walterboro.

If you were injured in Ravenel, SC, our Ravenel personal injury lawyers at Clekis Law Firm can explain your options. Call 843-900-0000 or contact us to schedule a consultation. We meet clients by appointment at our Charleston office at 171 Church Street, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and at our North Charleston office on Ashley Phosphate Road, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We can also meet by phone or video call.

Attorney responsible for this page: Nicholas J. Clekis, Clekis Law Firm, 2850 Ashley Phosphate Road, North Charleston, SC 29418.