No one anticipates suffering an injury while going about their day. Whether it’s a car accident, slip-and-fall, defective product, or other incident, an injury disrupts your life. When it was someone else’s fault, The Melonakos Law Firm helps you pursue compensation. Since 2018, we’ve recovered $100+ million for injured people across South Carolina. Contact us for a free case review with a Greenville personal injury attorney.
Our Awards & Certifications
Attorney Michael Melonakos is the founder of The Melonakos Law Firm, where he concentrates his practice on personal injury matters, including motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, medical malpractice, premises liability, nursing home abuse, workers’ compensation, and more. The law firm’s efforts have secured more than $50 million for injured people.
Types of Injury Cases We Handle in Greenville, SC
The Melonakos Law Firm represents Greenville injury victims in car accidents, truck collisions, motorcycle crashes, wrongful death, premises liability, slip and fall, medical malpractice, construction accidents, and catastrophic injury cases:
Car Accidents
Traffic collisions happen every 3.6 minutes in South Carolina, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. Compensation covers medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering from careless or negligent drivers.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists face greater collision risk due to reduced visibility and the lack of structural protection that passenger vehicles provide.
Truck Accidents
Tractor-trailer accidents require proving liability against trucking companies and their insurers. Compensation includes medical costs, lost wages, and future care needs.
Wrongful Death
The sudden loss of a loved one creates emotional and financial hardship requiring compensation from negligent parties.
Premises Liability
Property owners must maintain safe conditions for visitors, guests, and customers. Injuries from unsafe conditions warrant compensation.
Slips and Falls
Slip-and-fall accidents cause broken bones, sprains, strains, neck injuries, and back injuries at workplaces, stores, and public spaces.
Medical Malpractice
Medical errors, negligence, or misconduct give patients the right to compensation when healthcare providers fail their duty of care.
Construction Accidents
Construction sites pose dangers from heavy machinery, heights, and hazardous materials. Injured workers can pursue compensation beyond workers’ compensation.
Catastrophic Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries, amputations, and spinal cord injuries require compensation for lifetime medical care, rehabilitation, and ongoing expenses.
Boating Accidents
Victims of boating accidents on Greenville-area lakes and waterways can suffer these same catastrophic injuries when negligent boat operators or defective equipment are involved.
Burn Injuries
Burn injuries from fires, explosions, and chemical exposure can also cause permanent damage.
Moped Accidents
Moped riders face vulnerability in urban traffic where drivers fail to yield or check blind spots. Compensation covers medical bills, lost income, and damages.
To consult with an experienced Personal Injury attorney serving Greenville, SC call (864) 485-5555
What Should I Do After an Accident?
If you’ve been hurt in an accident in Greenville that someone else caused, you can take steps to protect your rights and options and put yourself in the best position to seek financial recovery. Here’s what to do:
- Report the accident to the appropriate authorities, such as reporting a car crash to law enforcement or notifying a property owner of an accident on their premises.
- Seek immediate medical attention to diagnose, treat, and document your injuries.
- Follow your doctor’s treatment plan.
- Obtain copies of your medical records.
- Request copies of any accident reports.
- Keep all bills, invoices, and receipts of expenses you incur during your recovery.
- Gather your pay stubs or other income statements if you take time off work or need to transfer to a lower-paying part-time or light-duty position.
- Contact a Greenville personal injury lawyer from The Melonakos Law Firm to discuss your legal options in a free claim review.
Who Can File a Personal Injury Claim in Greenville?
Michael began his legal career working for two of Atlanta’s top insurance defense firms. He represented:
- Injured Parties: Anyone injured due to another person’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional actions can file a claim. This includes pedestrians hit by cars, customers injured in stores, or patients harmed by medical malpractice.
- Wrongful Death Claims: Surviving spouses, children, or parents can file wrongful death claims when fatal accidents occur. If no immediate family exists, the estate’s personal representative files on behalf of beneficiaries.
- Parents and Guardians: Parents file claims on behalf of injured minors until the child turns 18. At 18, the statute of limitations clock starts for the now-adult child to file their own claim if needed.
- Estate Representatives: When injury victims die from unrelated causes before settling claims, estate executors can continue pursuing compensation on behalf of the estate and beneficiaries.
How Much Compensation Can I Expect?
The amount of compensation you might recover in a personal injury case will depend on numerous factors. These include the severity of your injuries, the duration of your recovery, the types of treatment you need, and whether you’re left with any permanent disabilities. Your financial recovery in your personal injury claim could provide you with money for losses such as:
- Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation, including emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgeries, prescription medications, purchases of medical equipment, and physical and occupational therapy
- Costs of long-term disability care for prolonged or permanent impairments caused by your injuries
- Lost wages for missed work during your recovery or due to reduced earnings while in a part-time or light-duty role
- Reduced future earning capacity if you become permanently disabled from working
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality and enjoyment of life due to disabilities, severe scarring, and disfigurement
The Personal Injury Claims Process in South Carolina
Investigation and Evidence Gathering
We collect accident reports, medical records, witness statements, surveillance footage, and expert opinions to establish liability and document damages.
Insurance Negotiations
Most cases settle through insurance negotiations. We handle all communications with adjusters and push for full compensation covering medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Filing a Lawsuit
If insurance companies refuse a fair settlement, we file a lawsuit in the Greenville County Court to pursue your claims through litigation.
Discovery
Both sides exchange evidence, take depositions, and build their cases. This phase typically lasts 6-12 months and often leads to settlement before trial.
Settlement or Trial
Our lawyers have tried over 100 jury trials.
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How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take in Greenville?
Simple cases with clear liability and minor injuries settle in 3-6 months. Complex cases involving severe injuries, multiple defendants, or disputed liability take 12-24 months. Cases going to trial extend to 18-36 months from filing.
- Factors that speed up cases: Clear liability, adequate insurance coverage, completed medical treatment, and organized documentation.
- Factors that slow down cases: Disputed fault, ongoing medical treatment, multiple liable parties, low insurance limits requiring lawsuits, and defendants filing for bankruptcy.
You can’t settle until finishing medical treatment. Settling too early means leaving money on the table if complications arise later.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Personal Injury Claim?
Most people injured in accidents can benefit from working with an experienced personal injury attorney. Because it costs nothing to discuss your case with The Melonakos Law Firm, you have nothing to lose by requesting a free consultation.
We can review your case for free and discuss your best legal options, all with no pressure, no obligation, and no strings attached. We will tell you how we can help. We will also tell you straight up if we think you would be better off handling your case on your own.
Below are some basic guidelines for determining when you could benefit from working with our Greenville personal injury attorneys.
Hire a lawyer if:
- Injuries require hospitalization, surgery, or ongoing treatment
- Liability is disputed, or multiple parties are at fault
- Insurance offers lowball settlements or denies coverage
- Injuries cause permanent disability or disfigurement
- Accidents involve commercial vehicles, government entities, or businesses
You might not need a lawyer if:
- Injuries are very minor and medical bills are small (Keep in mind that what seem like minor injuries at first can turn out to be more complex as time unfolds.)
- Liability is completely clear with no disputes (However, even if the insurance adjuster accepts liability for the accident, disputes may still arise over damages.)
- Insurance accepts fault immediately and offers fair compensation (But it never hurts to ask our experienced attorneys to assess whether the settlement offer really is fair.)
- You’re comfortable negotiating directly with adjusters (Remember, though, that insurance adjusters are trained to make claimants feel at ease. Our lawyers deal with insurers every day and know how to protect our clients from their tactics.)
Insurance companies typically pay unrepresented claimants significantly less than represented ones. Having an attorney often results in higher settlements even after legal fees.
Time Limits for Filing Injury Claims in Greenville, SC
Under South Carolina’s statute of limitations on injury claims, you typically have three years to file a lawsuit after getting hurt due to someone else’s negligence. If you have a personal injury claim against the South Carolina government, the law requires you to provide notice of your claim within one year after you discover or reasonably should have been able to discover your injury. If you do not file notice, the Tort Claims Act provides a two-year statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit against a government agency.
You have a limited time to file injury claims in Greenville, SC. Contact a personal injury attorney from The Melonakos Law Firm as soon as possible after an accident to give yourself the best chance to file your claims on time.
Reasons to Choose Our Greenville Personal Injury Attorneys
After suffering a personal injury in Greenville, you need dedicated legal counsel who can help you pursue financial recovery and accountability from those responsible for the accident and the injuries you suffered. Hiring the right attorney can make a difference in the outcome of your case.
Since 2018, injured people in Greenville have trusted The Melonakos Law Firm because:
- We care about every client who walks through our doors and share the same values when it comes to providing compassionate counsel to people during trying times.
- We purposely limit the number of cases we take to provide all our clients with the attention, support, and effort they deserve.
- Our firm has a proven record of success, including hundreds of favorable settlements and verdicts.
- Our firm only handles personal injury cases, so we can more effectively pursue the compensation our clients deserve. This strategy has proven successful, as we have recovered more than $50 million to date on behalf of clients across South Carolina. Recently, we recovered $2 million for a client rear-ended by a truck driver on I-285 who suffered severe back and spinal cord injuries, requiring multiple surgeries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three years from the date of injury for most personal injury claims. One year for claims against government entities.
Case value depends on medical costs, lost wages, injury severity, permanence of disabilities, and available insurance coverage. Minor injuries average $10,000-$50,000. Severe injuries with permanent disability range from $100,000 to several million.
No. Personal injury lawyers work on contingency, meaning no fees unless you recover compensation. Fees typically range from 33-40% of your settlement or verdict.
About 90% of personal injury cases settle before trial. Cases go to trial when insurance companies refuse fair settlement offers.
You have three years from the accident date in South Carolina, but report claims to insurance within days and contact a lawyer within weeks to preserve evidence.
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