A jet ski accident can leave you facing serious injuries, expensive medical bills, and uncertainty about how to recover compensation. Insurance companies will look for ways to reduce what they pay by arguing that you contributed to the crash. Under South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence law, your compensation may be reduced by your share of fault, and you may be barred from recovery altogether if you are found more than 50% responsible.
Insurers know this and often try to shift as much blame onto injured victims as possible. They may argue that you failed to follow waterway safety rules, operated the watercraft recklessly, or ignored dangerous conditions before the collision.
Since 1995, Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers has helped injury victims stand up to these tactics. Our Myrtle Beach personal injury lawyers move quickly to preserve evidence, investigate the accident, and build strong claims designed to protect your right to compensation.
Call us today for a free consultation. Under our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™, you pay nothing upfront and no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Why Choose Our Myrtle Beach Lawyers to Handle Your Jet Ski Accident Claim?
South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence law gives insurers plenty of room to blame you for your jet ski accident. If they can assign you more than 50% of the fault, they can avoid paying you anything.
Even a partial finding of fault can significantly reduce the compensation available to you. Jet ski accident injuries can prove costly in the long run, and any compensation you leave on the negotiating table is money that can help you pay medical expenses and other losses.
Our Myrtle Beach jet ski accident attorneys have recovered over $100 million for our clients by building claims that withstand blame-shifting tactics and liability disputes. Insurers know how to poke holes in a claim, but we are here to block those attempts, taking the following actions to protect your claim:
- We conduct an independent investigation to obtain unbiased evidence, like accident reports, witness statements, and any photos or videos from the scene that challenge blame-shifting tactics.
- We consult with specialists who conduct accident reconstruction to break down exactly how the negligent party caused the collision.
- We handle the insurers, sending demand letters, challenging exaggerated claims of fault, and fighting delays to get you the compensation you’re owed under the law.
We take care of the hard work so that you don’t have to deal with insurers or legal procedures. Our jet ski collision attorneys are part of a family-run firm, committed to removing the burden from your shoulders.
How Insurers Use Liability Disputes to Compromise Your Claim
In jet ski accidents, insurers dispute liability by pointing fingers at multiple parties. For example, the operator of another watercraft will claim the crash was partially your fault for being too close or failing to see them. The rental company will then argue that it is not responsible for the actions of the at-fault renter or that the equipment was properly maintained.
Any involved party and their insurers will go back and forth shirking responsibility, ultimately looking to reduce the amount they have to pay. They dispute their policyholder’s share of the blame because South Carolina’s joint and several liability laws generally require a defendant to be at least 50% at fault before you can seek full compensation from them.
On top of that, insurers will resist combining multiple policies through stacking, which would increase the total coverage available.
Our Myrtle Beach Jet Ski Accident Attorneys Pursue Every Opportunity for Compensation
If insurers successfully lower their share of liability or limit coverage, you could be left without the funds needed to cover your jet ski injury expenses. Our Myrtle Beach attorneys bring each liable party to account for their share of the collision by:
- Identifying all liable parties so that no responsible individual or company avoids accountability.
- Preserving evidence of applicable insurance coverage, such as rental agreements, accident reports, and maintenance records.
- Working with accident reconstruction specialists to clarify how the crash occurred and challenge fabricated or exaggerated claims against you.
- Pursuing stacked coverage by evaluating all applicable insurance policies and holding insurers accountable for the policy limits.
Liability disputes reduce payouts and risk you having to cover damages out of pocket. Our attorneys work to identify every available source of compensation and pursue the full value of your losses.
Insurers Want You to Miss the Statute of Limitations for Jet Ski Accident Lawsuits
Insurers will delay in the hope that you miss your chance to file a lawsuit. You generally have three years from the date of your jet ski accident to file a personal injury lawsuit under S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530. Missing this deadline means your case will be dismissed, and you won’t have the chance to recover compensation, even through an insurance claim.
Insurance companies will drag out settlement negotiations, promise to “review your claim,” request unnecessary documentation, or offer low settlements, hoping you’ll wait too long to take legal action. If you miss the deadline, the insurer is off the hook entirely, no matter how clear the policyholder’s liability is.
Under our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™, we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe nothing upfront, and you only pay if we secure compensation for you. This allows us to immediately focus on protecting your rights.
Let Our Jet Ski Collision Attorneys in Myrtle Beach Handle Your Case
Dealing with a jet ski accident claim doesn’t have to be overwhelming. At Auger & Auger, our team of Myrtle Beach jet ski collision lawyers manages every aspect of the claims process.
You won’t have to argue with insurance adjusters; we’re here to protect your rights and counter the insurer’s attempts to deny you fair damages. Call us today for a free consultation.
