Personal Injury Lawyers

A personal injury case is any civil claim seeking compensation for bodily, emotional, or financial harm caused by another party's negligence, recklessness, intentional misconduct, or strict liability. The most common categories are motor vehicle crashes, premises liability (slip-and-fall), medical malpractice, defective products, and wrongful death. The plaintiff bears the burden of proving the defendant caused the harm and that compensatory damages are warranted.

Georgia's statute of limitations is 2 years from the date of injury for most personal injury claims (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33). South Carolina's is 3 years (S.C. Code § 15-3-530). Medical malpractice cases follow related but distinct rules with statutes of repose (5 years in GA under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-71; 6 years in SC under S.C. Code § 15-3-545). Claims against government entities require shorter pre-suit notice. Missing any applicable deadline permanently bars the claim.

Both states use modified comparative fault. In Georgia, you can recover if you are less than 50% at fault, with your award reduced by your fault percentage (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). In South Carolina, you can recover if you are 50% or less at fault, again with a proportional reduction. For example, on a $100,000 claim with 30% plaintiff fault, recovery is $70,000. At 50% (GA) or 51% (SC) plaintiff fault, recovery is barred entirely.

Case value depends on injury severity, total medical expenses (past and future), lost wages and lost earning capacity, property damage, the impact on quality of life, available insurance coverage, and the strength of liability evidence. Roden Law has recovered settlements and verdicts ranging from tens of thousands to multi-million-dollar outcomes. We provide free case evaluations to assess the realistic value range for your specific claim.

Roden Law works on a contingency fee basis — you pay nothing upfront and no attorney fee unless we win your case. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery we obtain through settlement or verdict. Case expenses (filing fees, deposition costs, expert witness fees) are advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery, also contingent on winning. There is no financial risk to you in retaining counsel.

You can recover three categories of damages: (1) economic damages — past and future medical bills, lost income, lost earning capacity, and property damage (uncapped in both states); (2) non-economic damages — pain and suffering, mental anguish, disability, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life (uncapped in ordinary PI cases in both states; SC caps non-economic damages only in medical malpractice cases); and (3) punitive damages for grossly negligent or intentional conduct (capped under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1 in GA and S.C. Code § 15-32-530 in SC, with significant exceptions for product liability and intoxication-related conduct).

No — not without an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to elicit statements that minimize or defeat claims. They will request a recorded statement, ask leading questions, and use anything you say against you later. Decline politely, refer them to your attorney, and let counsel handle all communications. The carrier is not your advocate; it has a financial interest opposite to yours.

Get medical attention even if injuries seem minor (some injuries — concussions, soft-tissue trauma, internal bleeding — are not immediately apparent). Document the scene with photos and video. Get contact information from any witnesses. File a police or incident report. Do not admit fault or apologize. Preserve any physical evidence (damaged equipment, clothing, footwear). Contact a personal injury attorney before giving any statement to an insurance carrier or signing any release.