Personal Injury Lawyer Columbia, SC

Areas of Personal Injury Practice

The Firm had its genesis handling personal injury cases. Since then it has grown to handle complex personal injury cases from the standpoints of both plaintiffs and defendants. Such matters include significant automobile collision cases, product liability claims, strict liability, medical malpractice, defective design/manufacture claims, warranty claims, and premises liability.


Our Columbia law firm has years of experience handling challenging cases and getting great results. Contact us today!


What Qualifies as Personal Injury?

Injuries that qualify as “personal injury” are ones that are accidental but were caused by someone’s carelessness, negligence, or wrongful conduct. Personal injury does not fall within criminal law, rather it is a part of civil law. Because of personal injury law, an injured person can file a civil lawsuit against the one at fault to recover damages for the losses that the injury caused.

What Are the 3 Types of Damages?

There are three types of damages awarded in a personal injury claim.

  • Economic – These are to help the injured person recover from the economic damage the injury has caused (such as loss of job, cost of medical expenses, etc.)
  • Non-economic – These are to help the injured person recover from the general pain and suffering the injury has caused (such as mental distress, loss of companionship, etc.). These damages are hard to assign a monetary value to since they are not as tangible as economic damages.
  • Punitive – The purpose of this type of damage is to punish the wrongdoer. This is applicable in cases where the defendant’s conduct was reckless or malicious.

What is the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury in South Carolina?

The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in South Carolina is three years from the date of injury. If you were injured because of someone else’s negligence, then you must bring your personal injury claim to the courts within three years. There are special circumstances that could extend this deadline, which are:

  • Minors have up to one year after their 18th birthday to file a personal injury claim (even if it has been more than three years since the injury). This does not apply to medical malpractice cases – in those cases, the minor has seven years to file a claim.
  • If an injured person is mentally incapacitated at the time of the injury, then a timeline of five years is given (this does not apply to medical malpractice cases).

Who Will Be Representing Your Needs

Senior members Jerry Finkel, Harry Goldberg, and Howard Sheftman head and oversee the Firm’s torts, negligence & personal injury practice, and together they have over one hundred years of litigation experience.

Attorney Johnny J. Stewart, Jr. leads the firms personal injury practice in our Columbia location. Along with the assistance of our senior litigation members, team of litigation associates and paralegals, our team has tackled many complex injury litigation cases. The Firm has handled major cases for their clients in the areas of personal injury, automobile negligence, medical malpractice, premises liability and products liability, servicing substantial settlements and verdicts to compensate their clients for their injuries, permanent disabilities, economic losses, and loss of enjoyment of life.


Contact our Columbia firm today for help with your personal injury case!


**Any results the law firm may have achieved in past cases does not imply or indicate that similar results may be had in your case. The outcome of litigation is dependent on many factual and legal circumstances that may differ in your particular case.

Serving the people and businesses of South Carolina for over fifty years.