Winter Coats and Car Seats Don’t Mix

The days are shorter and getting colder. As winter approaches, parents will start the annual practice of bundling their kids in puffy coats when they leave the house. But beware: bulky jackets can reduce the effectiveness of car seats if a crash occurs.

Why You Should Always Remove Your Child’s Coat

It feels wrong to take a child’s coat off when it’s freezing outside, even in the car. But car seat technicians warn that failing to do so could be a deadly mistake.

Puffy coats and multiple layers make it difficult to harness a child securely in the car seat. If a car accident happens, the force of impact will cause the material inside the coat to squish down. What seemed like a tight enough harness when you buckled your child up will be too loose to restrain them well.

Researchers also found that puffy coats and snowsuits can leave up to four inches of slack in the straps, which significantly increases the risk of head and neck injuries.

Technicians recommend that children should be wearing nothing thicker than a sweatshirt when they are riding in a car seat, according to SafeRide4Kids. Yet a 2019 survey from Volvo found that 65 percent of parents do not take off coats before buckling up.

Winter Car Seat Safety Tips

Here are tips for ensuring that your child is safely harnessed before you hit the road:

• Put your child in the car seat with the coat on and fasten the harness. Tighten the straps until you can’t pinch any of the harness webbing between your thumb and index finger.
• Unbuckle and remove your child from the car seat. Take off the coat.
• Place your child in the safety seat and re-fasten the harness, keeping it the same as it was when the coat was on. If you can pinch the webbing between the thumb and forefinger, the coat is too thick.
• Don’t worry. Your child can still ride with warm weather gear. You can supplement them with hats, wrapping them in blankets, or even tucking the coat itself around the child.

Hurt in a Crash? Call an Injury Lawyer at Stewart Law Offices Today

If you or your child was hurt in a car accident in the Carolinas, you could be entitled to compensation from the at-fault party. Call the experienced car accident lawyers at Stewart Law Offices today. With offices in South Carolina and North Carolina, our injury attorneys have been representing clients successfully since 1995. We can help you, too.

Not sure if you have a case? Our law firm offers free consultations. Call or contact us today to arrange yours.

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Car Accident and Fatality Statistics in South Carolina

South Carolina is one of the worst states for car accidents. An annual survey from Car Insurance Comparison recently ranked South Carolina as the second-worst driving state in America for the sixth year running. Statistics show that the rate of traffic fatalities in the state is almost double the national average. And preliminary data from the S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) indicates that there were 758 traffic fatalities in the state during first ten months of 2020 alone.

Losing a loved one in a car accident is an unimaginable tragedy. Surviving family members in South Carolina can pursue compensation from the at-fault party through a wrongful death claim. If you’ve lost a relative, contact the experienced car accident lawyers at Stewart Law Offices for a free consultation. We have four offices throughout the state including Rock Hill, Columbia, Spartanburg, and Beaufort**.

South Carolina Car Accident Fatality Statistics

Consider these statistics for South Carolina:

• One fatal collision occurs every nine hours.
• One person dies in a crash every 8.5 hours.
• One person dies in a DUI crash every 30.1 hours.
• One teen is involved in a fatal or injury collision every 1.4 hours.
• A child under 8 is seriously injured or killed in a traffic crash every 7.2 days.
• More than 570 passengers in fatal crashes during the first 10 months of 2020 were not wearing seat belts.
• There is one injury collision every 13.8 minutes.

The top five causes of S.C. car accidents are speeding, failure to yield, disregarding signs/signals, following too closely, and distracted driving.

What to Do if a Loved One Died in a S.C. Car Accident

If you lost a family member in a South Carolina traffic accident, you could have a valid wrongful death claim against the at-fault party. It is essential that you speak to a knowledgeable wrongful death lawyer as soon as possible. An attorney will assert your family’s rights and help you claim the compensation you deserve.

Although monetary compensation can never make up for the person you lost, it is intended to restore your family’s financial wellbeing and help you pay for funeral and burial costs.

When Does a Fatal Accident Become a Wrongful Death?

Not every death is legally considered a wrongful death. The key to whether you have a claim depends on whether someone else was responsible for the fatal wreck.

The South Carolina wrongful death statute provides a clear definition that states any death caused by the negligent or wrongful act of another person is considered a wrongful death and that certain individuals can claim damages as a result. Therefore, if another party acted negligently or carelessly and caused the death of your loved one, you likely have a valid claim.

How Stewart Law Offices Can Help

Losing a family member unexpectedly is a tragedy. If someone you love was killed in a South Carolina car accident, wrongful death compensation can help ease the financial blow. Stewart Law Offices can provide compassionate and dedicated legal support during this difficult time. Schedule a free consultation with a S.C. wrongful death lawyer today.

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How to Deal With Road Rage

Road rage is entirely preventable. Yet it remains a serious threat to motorists on roads in South Carolina and throughout the United States. A recent study found that 1 in 4 drivers has been involved in a road rage incident, either as the victim or the perpetrator.

Follow these tips from Stewart Law Offices about how to minimize road rage and all of its dangers.

Causes of Road Rage

A variety of circumstances are reported to cause road rage. Traffic congestion and delays are known to make drivers especially irritable. Thinking logically, drivers should realize that these road conditions are completely out of any motorist’s control. But if they’re running late or stressed out, they may take it out on others by acting aggressively behind the wheel.

Once stress levels are high, even small driving infractions that a driver would normally shake off could turn into a road rage incident.

Examples of Road Rage

Road rage can take many forms, such as:

• Intentional tailgating
• Yelling at another motorists
• Honking angrily
• Blocking another vehicle from changing lanes
• Cutting off other cars deliberately
• Getting out of a car to confront the other driver
• Bumping or hitting another car on purpose
• Throwing objects
• Forcing another driver off the road

Disturbingly, a 10-year analysis of crash data from The Auto Insurance Center found that South Carolina had the second-highest rate of fatal accidents that could be attributed to road rage in the nation.

How to Avoid a Road Rage Accident in South Carolina

The only thing you can control on the road is your own behavior. Here’s what you can do to lessen the chances of causing a road rage accident:

• Obey the rules of the road.
• Don’t react to others’ aggressive driving by engaging in the same behaviors.
• Own your mistakes. If you cut someone off, apologize for it verbally or with a friendly wave.
• Control your temper. Even if the other driver tries to confront you verbally, don’t escalate the situation by fighting back.
• Call 911 if you are afraid of being harmed.

How to Handle Others Drivers’ Road Rage

The best way to deal with another motorist’s aggressiveness is by driving defensively. This means:

Keep your distance. If possible, let the driver pass you. With luck, he or she will zoom on by. But if the aggressive driver tries any other maneuvers from in front, like braking suddenly for no reason, keeping your distance will give you more time to respond and avoid a collision.

Don’t meet with the driver. Never pull off the road to talk to the other driver. You have no idea of his or her intentions.

Get Legal Help If You’ve Been Injured

Has someone else’s road rage caused you harm? If you have been seriously injured in a road rage crash in South Carolina, the experienced car accident attorneys at Stewart Law Offices can help you fight for compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

Call or contact us today for a free consultation.

Originally published January 2017, updated November 2020.

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Busting 2 Myths About Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation can be a vital asset to people who have become injured or sick on the job. Benefits from a successful workers’ compensation claim can keep employees from falling onto hard times so they can heal without worrying about their finances.

Unfortunately, several myths about the workers’ comp process have kept many eligible employees from filing a claim for benefits they are rightfully owed. Stewart Law Offices is here to debunk them and set the record straight.

Myth No. 1: You Can Only File a Claim If the Employer Is at Fault

Fact: Workers’ compensation benefits are available to eligible employees regardless of fault. The system was developed in an effort to curb the number of personal injury lawsuits that were brought against employers after their workers were hurt in on-the-job accidents.

Under workers’ compensation laws, the employer will pay for all reasonable medical expenses for the injury, a portion of the employee’s lost wages, and disability benefits until the employee has recovered or reached maximum medical improvement.

There is a trade-off for these guaranteed benefits. In exchange for not having to prove fault in a workers’ comp claim, employees lose their rights to file a negligence claim against the employer. It may be possible to sue other parties depending on the facts of the case. An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer would need to investigate the case to determine your legal options.

Myth No. 2: Workers’ Compensation Will Cover All of Your Losses

Workers’ compensation covers medical expenses related to your injury and provides partial reimbursement of your lost wages while you are out of work. It also can cover rehabilitation expenses and disability compensation for permanent injuries. However, certain types of compensation are not included under workers’ compensation. One of the primary ones is pain and suffering.

Money for pain and suffering can be awarded in a personal injury claim. Because you cannot sue your employer, there is no way to recover that types of compensation through a workers’ compensation claim.

However, there are times when a person has a valid personal injury claim after a workplace accident. This happens in cases where someone other than the employer is responsible for the incident.

For example, if a power tool malfunctioned due to a design defect while you were using it at work, you could file a personal injury claim against the company who designed or made the product. In that circumstance, you could be awarded damages for pain and suffering (along with other losses) because the negligence claim was against a third party, not your employer.

Learn More at Stewart Law Offices

Understanding the workers’ compensation process is difficult, but the lawyers at Stewart Law Offices can break it down for you in a free consultation. If you’ve been hurt in a workplace accident or diagnosed with an occupational disease, call or contact us today.

With offices in Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Columbia, and Beaufort, S.C. and Charlotte, N.C., our attorneys can meet wherever it is most convenient for you.

Originally published January, 2017. Updated November, 2020.

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