The Louthian Firm Accident & Injury Lawyers is a Columbia personal injury attorney firm focusing on family. If you have been injured in an accident, our law firm can take care of your legal case while you take time for your family. Call (803) 592-6231 to ask for your consultation.
Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Columbia, SC
When you’re hurt, you’re facing medical bills. Your family is left to deal with the fallout, financially and personally. That is why it is imperative to have a Personal Injury attorney like Bert Louthian of the Louthan Law Firm by your side.
We understand. Work with a Columbia, SC personal injury attorney with more than 35 years of experience helping people like you. He can represent your legal interests, seek the compensation you’re due, and take the stress out of the legal process.
Consultations available
We’re taking new cases throughout the Columbia region, and consultations are available. To see how The Louthian Firm Accident & Injury Lawyers can help you, contact us.
What Is a Personal Injury Attorney?
A personal injury lawyer offers invaluable support in various ways. They possess the knowledge to navigate the complexities of obtaining compensation on your behalf while you focus on recovery. With personalized attention tailored to your specific circumstances, they advocate for your legal rights.
Columbia personal injury attorney Bert Louthian is dedicated to representing individuals harmed by others’ actions. As a trained professional, he strives to secure financial compensation and justice for his clients. When life takes an unexpected turn, we’re here to help.
If you’ve suffered an injury and require legal assistance in the Columbia, South Carolina area, contact us at The Louthian Law Firm to discuss your case and explore your options.
Cases We Handle
Car accidents
We represent victims of car accidents in all circumstances, including two-vehicle, single, and multi-vehicle crashes. Let our team investigate the causes of the crash and then pursue the compensation that you deserve.
Truck accidents
In a truck accident, businesses are usually involved with commercial insurance policies. Let our team investigate what factors contributed to the crash and how to collect your compensation.
Motorcycle accidents
Motorcycle victims often suffer severe injury including traumatic brain injury, paralysis, road rash and broken bones. Our team makes sure that your case identifies and claims compensation for the harm that you have suffered.
Drunk driving accidents
If you’re hit by a drunk driver, a civil case seeks fair compensation. Regardless of whether there are criminal charges, a civil case focuses on you, the victim. Our team investigates and proves your right to compensation.
Pedestrian accidents
Drivers have a duty to exercise care and caution for the safety of pedestrians. Pedestrians don’t have the protection of a heavy vehicle, so they can be seriously hurt, even when a crash occurs at low speeds. If you’re a victim, you may receive compensation.
Wrongful death
Losing a loved one because of a personal injury is an unimaginable tragedy. Our law firm can help you with the legal case while you grieve and focus on what’s most important.
Premises liability
Dangerous property conditions can result in harm. Unsafe structures, slippery surfaces, electrical hazards and recreational objects can cause personal injury accidents. Victims may seek compensation, and we can help.
Workers’ compensation
Know what benefits you qualify for and get the compensation you deserve when you’re hurt on the job. A workers’ compensation attorney can help you at any stage of the case.
Nursing home abuse
Nursing home abuse impacts the most vulnerable people in our community. Bert Louthian is an experienced attorney you can trust when you have concerns about your care or the care of a loved one in a nursing home.
How a Columbia Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
Attorney Bert Louthian is dedicated to providing assistance throughout every stage of your personal injury case. Our approach revolves around four key elements: investigate, evaluate, advocate, and guide. We are committed to securing justice for the families we represent.
Investigate
To advocate for our clients, we need the full picture. We start by listening to you. By knowing your story, we have the background we need to investigate. Legal procedures and investigative work allow us to determine what occurred and gather the evidence to prove your case.
Evaluate
With four decades of experience in Columbia, SC personal injury cases, we have the background knowledge to evaluate your situation. We determine the type of case you have, what compensation you should claim and the legal strategy that is right for you.
Advocate
Legal advocacy takes many forms. It may mean representing you at a hearing in court or conducting a deposition. Our commitment extends beyond the courtroom, involving drafting legal documents, adhering to legal procedures, and negotiating your settlement. We are dedicated to advocating for you at every stage of the case.
Guide
Providing outstanding legal services means guiding the client through the court process. We take the time to answer your questions. It’s important that you know what to expect. If you have decisions to make, you need the information to make an informed choice. We serve as your guide from start to finish as we work on behalf of your family.
FAQs About Personal Injury Settlements
How common are personal injury settlements?
They’re very common, occurring in nearly 95 percent of personal injury cases.
When an injured person initiates an action against the responsible negligent parties, it’s with the understanding that their lawyer will do whatever it takes to achieve a fair and just outcome. Sometimes that means taking the case to a jury so they can decide what damages are appropriate.
But sometimes it is in the plaintiff’s best interest to accept a monetary settlement offer made by the defendants rather than go through the extended process of a full-blown trial. Additionally, it is not unusual for a defendant to make a last-minute offer to settle, right before the trial is to begin – or even after the trial has commenced but before it goes to the jury.
Do I really need a lawyer to negotiate a settlement?
There are many reasons for having an experienced personal injury attorney represent your interests in settlement negotiations. At The Louthian Firm Accident & Injury Lawyers, we know how to gather information about what your long-term expenses are likely to be, and we know what other similar cases have brought. Negotiating a favorable settlement takes skill and hard work. If you’re recovering from an injury, you should focus your energies on getting better and let an experienced lawyer shoulder the burden of proving your case.
When a settlement is agreed upon, where does the money come from?
Typically from an insurance company. If you were injured in a car accident, the company which provided insurance coverage for the other driver, or his employer, will be involved. If the other driver was uninsured, negotiations may be with your own insurer.
Doctors, hospitals and other healthcare professionals who may be named in a medical malpractice action will have insurance carriers who vigorously defend their clients. In the case of a severe injury or multi-vehicle accident, there may be several insurance companies involved – another reason why it is best to leave settlement negotiations up to your legal advocate.
Won’t I get more money from a jury?
Whether you would ultimately achieve a winning verdict if your case goes to trial and how much money you would be awarded by a jury are unknowns. There are so many factors involved, it is impossible to predict with absolute certainty.
However, our Columbia personal injury attorney will be able to give you sound advice throughout the progress of your case.
How quickly can I get some money in settlement?
The process of negotiating a settlement is time consuming. There may be several offers and counter-offers made over the course of months – or even years. It may not be in your best interest to push for a quick settlement, because symptoms of injury don’t always manifest all at once or immediately after the accident.
When a settlement is made and accepted, the claimant must give up the right to file a future lawsuit about the same injury. If you settle too quickly and then find out you were injured more seriously than you thought, you may wish you had not accepted the settlement offer.
Will I get one lump-sum payment in a settlement?
It depends on the terms of the settlement and what you and your attorney agree is to your benefit. In some cases, period payments are appropriate and advisable. We call this a “structured settlement.”
Once the total amount of present and future expenses is agreed upon, the defendant insurance company assigns the settlement to a life insurance company to issue an annuity that will provide you with periodic payments over time. Hammering out the details of a structured settlement is another process best handled by an experienced attorney.
Are settlements taxable income?
Most settlement proceeds in personal injury cases are not taxable, but some portions could be. You should consult your tax professional for specific advice.
Does The Louthian Firm Accident & Injury Lawyers have a good track record for settling cases?
You can judge that for yourself by reading about some of our case results in wrongful death, workplace injury, medical malpractice, car wreck and birth injury cases, as well as many other types. We can’t guarantee a particular conclusion, or even that a settlement is possible in your case, but we listen hard and work harder to achieve the best outcome for every client.
About Personal Injury Attorney Bert Louthian
Bert Louthian has been practicing law in the Columbia, SC area since 1985. Under the mentorship of his father, Bert built a law practice that’s run by family to help families. When someone gets hurt, it impacts the entire family. The Louthian Firm Accident & Injury Lawyers serves the legal needs of the community by helping individuals and families who are impacted by injury and other harm.
With a J.D. from the University of South Carolina and many years of experience, Bert Louthian understands that legal advocacy and personal service are key to serving the needs of clients. He knows that your financial recovery is critical to your personal recovery. He works each day on behalf of the people he serves to make things right when they are suffering from unexpected injury.
Why Families Trust Our Personal Injury Law Firm
Here are some reasons families choose The Louthian Firm Accident & Injury Lawyers for personal injury representation:
- Focus on family – We know that a personal injury impacts the entire family, so we handle your case with family in mind
- Representing victims in the Columbia area since 1985 – We can put four decades of experience to work for you
- Exhaustive work on behalf of our clients – We undertake an investigation, work with expert witnesses, build technical evidence and follow legal procedures to get real results
- A centralized, Columbia, SC location, accessible by car and public transit – We’re here when and where you need us
- Personalized representation – By knowing your unique circumstances, we do everything in our power to make things right
Bert Louthian grew his legal skills under the mentorship of his attorney father. Today, the law firm remains family owned and family focused. Bert holds the Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent rating for the highest standard of professional evidence. He is also AVVO 10.0 rated and named to the Top 100 of The National Trial Lawyers. These honors reflect his success in advocating for families facing a personal injury.
Our Offices – Locations and Directions
We are located in the heart of Columbia, SC at 1116 Blanding St., #3A, Columbia, SC 29201. It is a red brick building next to the Sidney Park Methodist Church. Finlay Park is nearby, across Assembly Street.
Our offices are right across from the Richland County Circuit Court. There is street level parking and a parking structure behind our building.
Directions
Blanding Street has traffic in both directions, so you can approach it from any cross street. Major cross streets connecting with Blanding Street are Bull St and Assembly St. Huger St. doesn’t directly connect with Blanding Street because Finlay Park is two blocks long, but you can turn onto Assembly Street from Laurel or Taylor streets.
By public transit
Many COMET routes serve our offices. Several routes stop on Assembly at Blanding, and there is a covered bus stop there. In addition, COMET Central is only one block east and one block north of our offices.
Hospitals in the Columbia, SC area
Columbia, SC is served by the Prisma health system, with primary care physicians, specialists and hospitals in its service network. There are multiple Prisma locations in the Columbia area, including:
Prisma Health Baptist Hospital
Taylor at Marion Street, Columbia, SC 29220
Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital
400 Palmetto Health Parkway, Columbia, SC 29212
Prisma Health Children’s Hospital–Midlands
7 Richland Medical Park Drive, Columbia, SC 29203
Prisma Health Heart Hospital
6 Richland Medical Park Drive, Columbia, SC 29203
Prisma Health Richland Hospital
5 Richland Medical Park Drive, Columbia, SC 29203
Other hospital and medical care providers in the Columbia area include:
Lexington Medical Center
2720 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia, SC 29169 (including emergency services)
MUSC Health, Columbia Regional Medical Center (Medical University of South Carolina)
120 Gateway Corporate Blvd, Columbia, SC 29203
Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Veterans Affairs)
6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC 29209-1638
Start Today With a Free Consultation
If you have been hurt, we invite you to talk to Columbia personal injury attorney Bert Louthian. Consultations are always free. At your consultation you can:
- Learn if you have a case
- Evaluate who may be responsible to pay compensation
- See what your case may be worth and why
- Ask questions and get answers
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of your case
- Receive a consultation that’s personalized to your situation
- Explore the different options and paths to compensation
- Know what to expect going forward
- Start your case immediately
The The Louthian Firm Accident & Injury Lawyers can talk with you about your specific situation. Then, we can start working on your case right away.
Call or message us to begin.