• Put the phone down. There’s nothing happening on your phone that can’t wait until you are safely parked somewhere.
• Designate a driver. If you’re planning an evening out with your girlfriends or an afternoon of brewery hopping with the guys, make sure that you have a safe ride home with someone who hasn’t been drinking.
• Buckle up! Not only is it the law, but it can save your life in an accident.
• Watch out at stoplights. Keep your eyes peeled for red light runners—just because your light is green, it doesn’t mean that the intersection is clear and safe for you to drive through.
• Keep your distance. If the car in front of you has to suddenly stop, you don’t want to run into the back of them! Leave a few seconds between you and the car in front of you to give you plenty of time to stop if necessary.

In a new study conducted by QuoteWizard, Columbia has been ranked among cities with the highest rate of car crashes. This is a fact that our firm already knew to be true.

In 2017, more than 40,000 people nationwide died in car crashes. And that number is on the rise, with a six percent increase in traffic deaths since 2015. No matter what part of the country you live in, being on the road is always a risk. But driving is apparently more dangerous in some places than others.

QuoteWizard analyzed self-reported driving infractions data from site users, which includes accidents. These rankings account for more than one million data points on accidents from 2017. Cities ranked ‘most accident-prone’ have the highest rate of accidents per driver. “Car crashes are, sadly, all too common across the country. But crash rates vary quite a bit from city to city. Whether it’s distracted driving, lousy roads, bad drivers, or a combination of all three, drivers in some cities seem to crash more often than others,” says Adam Johnson, QuoteWizard content manager. “QuoteWizard analyzed over a million datapoints on drivers in America to find out where people are getting into accidents at the highest rates.”

From the most accidents to the least, these are the 25 most car accident-prone cities in the US:

1. Columbus, OH

2. St. Louis, MO

3. Los Angeles, CA

4. Sacramento, CA

5. New Orleans, LA

6. Charlotte, SC

7. Columbia, SC

8. Washington DC

9. Baltimore, MD

10. Greenville, SC

The study reveals that Charlotte, NC, Columbia, SC, and Greenville, SC all rank in the top 10 most car accident prone cities in the country. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car collision, please contact our firm immediately. We have the ability to ensure that you receive all the compensation that you are entitled under the law. We hold reckless drivers, and their insurance companies accountable. For a free consultation, call us today at (803) 350-9230.

Can you believe that we’ve already been in our new location on Calhoun Street in downtown Columbia for over a year? Our new location has been wonderful—we love everything about the new-to-us house that our firm’s office is located in.

The house that we’re in is a historical home that was built in the mid-1800s, prior to the start of the Civil War. It was originally built on the grounds of the mental health asylum here in town and in 1982, was moved to its present location on Calhoun Street. Our historical home has a sister structure that was built at the same time and was also moved to Calhoun Street in the 1980s. Both structures resemble one another—they are two-story rectangular clapboard buildings with metal roofs, full front porches, and multi-paned wooden windows.

When we were working towards making the historical home our perfect office location, we rehabilitated the home only as needed without replacing any of the original features. There was so much history and charm to be found in the house and we did not want to ruin or take away any of it. We prepped and painted the building, repaired some of the rotting and deteriorated trim and features with like materials, and fixed up the front porch.

As we’ve heard told, the homes were originally built for two sisters by their father, who ended up becoming a Confederate General in the Civil War. When General Lee and his troops came to Columbia during the Civil War, we’ve been told that the troops shot at a portrait of the Confederate General that they found hanging over the fireplace and that the bullets are still lodged in the fireplace today. We love the history found in our office!

This stately home has been a great location for our team to practice out of—it has plenty of room for everyone on our team and since we all love history (especially South Carolina history!), it was a perfect fit for us. Each day, we make the space a little bit more of our own. Have you been to see us yet in our new location? We’d love to give you a tour and tell you more about it the next time that you drop by for an appointment!

Our team loves living, working, and playing in the community that we call home: Columbia, South Carolina. There is so much to love about our town!
 
There are so many great local businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, and more that make our hometown a wonderful place. Have you taken the time lately to explore what Columbia has to offer these days? It has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and we’re happy to have been a part of that growth.
 
This fall, our law firm has been featured in Fig Columbia. Fig Columbia is a quarterly lifestyle magazine that highlights all things local to Columbia and this issue, the Arts & Culture issue, focuses on the artists and creators that make this town a vibrant place to live.
 

 
In our office, we celebrate local history by turning historical South Carolina flags into artwork to adorn our walls. This Moultrie Flag, located in our conference room, is one of our favorites. It was commissioned in 1775 for use during the Revolutionary War down at Fort Moultrie, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. It’s a flag that’s filled with history and we love having it hanging in our office.
 

 
Have you spotted other flags in our office? Robert has collected quite a few over the years!
 

 
If you haven’t flipped through an issue of Fig Columbia yet, take time to check it out today! You can pick up a copy in our office the next time you’re here, at a local coffee shop or boutique, or read it online here.

August is a month to celebrate anniversaries in our office! Earlier this month, our attorney Jessica L. O’Neill Gooding celebrated her two year anniversary with us and now, our attorney Christian E. Boesl celebrates one year of working on our team at Goings Law Firm.
 

 
How did Christian end up working at our firm?
 
“Robert begged me! Robert and I have practiced together previously at another firm, and we enjoy trying cases together,” Christian said.
 
Christian is the head of our Workers’ Compensation team, which is comprised of him, Mallory, and Catherine. He has a strong workers’ compensation background, with nearly fifteen years of experience. In addition, he holds a Board of Arbitrator and Mediator Certification, approved Circuit Court Mediator for workers’ compensation.
 
Outside of work, Christian loves to spend time with his family—his wife, Emily, and their four children—and they help keep him active in our local community.
 
“Having four children keeps me pretty involved in the community from Booster Club activities to volunteering at food banks,” Christian said. He also spent time volunteering during the days and months after the 1,000 year flood that hit our city and state hard in October 2015.
 
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Christian became a South Carolinian after marrying Emily, a local of Columbia and it quickly became home for him due in part to the close-knit legal community
 
“My favorite thing about practicing in Columbia would be how cordial the Bar is and how closely connected you are to almost everyone in town,” Christian said. “It’s really almost a hometown feeling.”
 
Here in our office, we love having Christian as a part of our team.
 
“When I started my legal career, I worked at a law firm and Christian was my supervisor,” Robert Goings said. “I got to know him as an attorney and he became one of my closest friends. What I love is his honesty, his work ethic, and his passion for helping others. What has always set him apart from other people is his desire to help others. He’s a very strong advocate for his client—he believes in his clients. He never gives up. He has a zealous advocacy for people of need.”
 
Congratulations on your 1st anniversary, Christian! We hope to celebrate many more work anniversaries with you!

Here is a list of the frequently asked questions about workers’ compensation laws that we receive from people who have been injured on the at work.

If you or a loved one has a question about any worker’s compensation issue that you are facing, please do not hesitate to contact us today.   Often times a claim for workers compensation benefits can be tricky to navigate on your own, and the insurance companies can be notorious for my protecting the injured workers so that it can save money.  Don’t put your financial benefits in the hands of a workers’ compensation insurance adjuster without first talking to a seasoned worker’s compensation attorney.  We are here to help, so call the Goings Law Firm today at (803) 350-9230.

Do you feel like this when you treat with the Insurance Company Doctor?

Question: Do I have to use the workers comp insurance doctor?

Answer:

This is a question that we often hear from individuals who are dissatisfied with the medical care they been receiving from their employer’s worker’s compensation insurance carrier. For individuals who choose to go through this legal process by themselves the answer is most likely yes….you are stuck with their doctor. To those who seek the proper legal representation the answer and the outcome can be quite different.

The South Carolina Worker’s Compensation Act provides that individuals who are injured while working on the job are entitled to medical benefits. These benefits need to be provided at no expense to the injured worker. At first blush, the Workers Compensation Act provides that those individuals seeking medical treatment must receive treatment initially from a doctor provided by the employer and their worker’s compensation insurance carrier. That medical treatment must continue until it lessens the period of disability or the insurance doctor has placed you at maximum medical improvement (“MMI”). Similar to how your car’s damage is devalued instantly in an automobile accident by the insurance carrier, some injured workers find the insurance carrier’s physician devalue their injuries as well. This process often leads to months of frustration treating with a physician who will not listen to their needs or hastily rushes them out the door to end treatment.

If you have the proper legal representation, however, the process may be very different. Prior to my representation of injured workers, I worked as counsel for 14 years representing workers compensation insurance carriers. I have worked with some excellent carriers and physicians and unfortunately have seen firsthand some of the struggles injured workers face when paired with some carriers and physicians who do not care. My unique perspective allows me to know which physicians to steer away from and how to utilize the insurance industry standards and protocols for changing medical providers. We work, using the law, to obtain second opinions provided by the carriers or through our own means to allow our clients to get the best medical treatment that they need. Let me see if I can provide you that same medical treatment. For free consultation on your workers compensation claim, call me at 803-350-9230.
Answered by Christian E. Boesl, Manager of the Workers’ Compensation Department