Myrtle Beach Wrongful Death Lawyer

Losing a family member because of someone else’s negligence changes every part of life in an instant. Along with the grief comes unexpected financial pressure, unanswered questions about what happened, and uncertainty about what legal options are available. While no lawsuit can replace someone you love, South Carolina law allows certain surviving family members to pursue compensation when another person’s careless or wrongful conduct caused a preventable death.

At Morris Law, our Myrtle Beach wrongful death lawyers help families understand their rights after a fatal accident. We investigate what happened, identify everyone who may be legally responsible, and guide families through the wrongful death claim process with honesty and compassion.

If you lost a loved one because of another person’s negligence in Myrtle Beach or anywhere along the Grand Strand, contact Morris Law for a free consultation. We will answer your questions, explain your legal options, and help you decide what comes next.

Why Families Choose Morris Law

Since 2016, Morris Law has represented families throughout Horry County with a quality-over-quantity approach. We believe our clients should work directly with an attorney instead of being passed between case managers. We understand that wrongful death cases involve far more than legal issues; they involve families trying to navigate one of the most difficult periods of their lives.

Our role is to investigate the circumstances surrounding your loved one’s death, preserve critical evidence, identify every potentially responsible party, and manage the legal process while your family focuses on healing. Whether the case resolves through settlement negotiations or requires litigation, we work to pursue accountability and compensation that reflects the full impact of your loss.

Our Myrtle Beach office is located at 1335 44th Avenue North. We handle wrongful death claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront attorney’s fees and no legal fees unless we recover compensation on your family’s behalf.

What Is a Wrongful Death Claim?

A wrongful death claim arises when someone’s negligence, recklessness, or wrongful act causes another person’s death. In many ways, it is the claim your loved one could have pursued had they survived their injuries. Instead, South Carolina law allows the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate to bring the claim on behalf of the surviving beneficiaries.

Wrongful death claims can arise from many different circumstances where another person’s negligence or wrongful conduct causes a preventable death. Some involve sudden accidents, while others result from medical errors or dangerous conditions that should never have existed. Common examples include:

• Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents: Fatal crashes caused by distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding, failure to yield, or other negligent conduct behind the wheel.
• Pedestrian and bicycle collisions: Incidents involving drivers who fail to share the road safely or disregard traffic laws designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
• Medical malpractice: Preventable deaths resulting from surgical mistakes, delayed diagnoses, medication errors, birth injuries, anesthesia complications, or other failures to meet the accepted standard of medical care.
• Workplace accidents involving third parties: Fatal job-related injuries caused by negligent contractors, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, property owners, or other parties besides the employer.
• Dangerous or defective products: Deaths caused by defective vehicles, unsafe consumer products, industrial machinery, prescription medications, or products that were improperly designed, manufactured, or labeled.
• Unsafe property conditions: Fatal incidents involving falls, drownings, fires, structural failures, or other dangerous conditions that a property owner knew about—or should have discovered and corrected.

Although every wrongful death case is unique, they all require a careful investigation into what happened, who may be legally responsible, and the losses surviving family members have suffered. Building a successful claim often involves gathering accident reports, medical records, witness statements, expert opinions, and other evidence needed to establish liability and pursue compensation under South Carolina law.

Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in South Carolina?

South Carolina requires the deceased person’s court-appointed personal representative to bring a wrongful death lawsuit for eligible surviving beneficiaries. Individual family members generally cannot file the claim independently.

A will may nominate someone to serve as personal representative, but that nomination alone does not authorize filing. The probate court must formally appoint the representative. If no will exists, the court appoints someone under the applicable probate rules.

Under S.C. Code § 15-51-20, wrongful death compensation benefits these groups in order:

• The surviving spouse and children.
• The parents, if no spouse or children survive.
• The deceased person’s heirs, if none of those beneficiaries survive.

The personal representative manages the claim but does not automatically receive the compensation personally. Distribution follows the applicable statutory rules, rather than simply following the will.

If no estate is open or your family is unsure who can act, Morris Law can explain the appointment requirements. We help clarify who brings the claim and which family members may benefit, so your family understands the next steps.

What Compensation Can a Family Recover?

No amount of compensation can replace the loss of a loved one. A wrongful death claim cannot undo what happened, but it can help provide financial stability for surviving family members while holding the responsible party accountable.

Depending on the circumstances of the case, a wrongful death lawsuit may seek compensation for:

Financial Support

When a family loses someone who contributed financially to the household, the loss often extends far beyond immediate expenses. Compensation may include the income, employment benefits, retirement contributions, and other financial support the deceased would likely have provided throughout their lifetime.

Loss of Companionship and Guidance

South Carolina law also recognizes the personal losses suffered by surviving family members. A spouse loses the companionship of a husband or wife. Children lose the guidance, instruction, and support of a parent. Parents may lose the care and companionship of a child. While these losses cannot be measured by receipts or pay stubs, they are nonetheless significant.

Medical Expenses and Funeral Costs

Medical expenses incurred before death generally fall within a survival action brought on behalf of the estate. Reasonable funeral and burial expenses may be recoverable through either a wrongful death claim or a survival action, but not both. Morris Law, LLC, identifies the appropriate claim for each expense to avoid duplicate recovery.

Mental Shock and Emotional Suffering

The sudden loss of a family member affects every aspect of daily life. South Carolina law allows eligible beneficiaries to seek compensation for the emotional pain, grief, and mental suffering resulting from a wrongful death.

Every family’s circumstances are different. The value of a wrongful death claim depends on many factors, including the age of the deceased, their earning capacity, the relationship with surviving family members, and the specific losses the family has experienced.

How We Build a Wrongful Death Case

A wrongful death claim requires more than showing that a fatal accident occurred. It requires proving that another person’s negligence caused the death and documenting the full impact that loss has had on the surviving family members. Building that case often begins immediately, before evidence has a chance to disappear or memories begin to fade.

Conducting a Thorough Investigation

Every case starts with understanding exactly what happened. Depending on the circumstances, we may review accident reports, medical records, surveillance footage, photographs, witness statements, cell phone records, maintenance logs, or other evidence that helps establish how the incident occurred. In complex cases, we also work with accident reconstructionists, medical experts, and engineers, whose analysis can help explain how the fatal injury happened.

Identifying Every Responsible Party

The person or company that appears responsible at first is not always the only party that may be legally liable. A fatal truck accident may involve both the driver and the trucking company. A workplace death may involve a negligent contractor or equipment manufacturer. A medical malpractice claim may involve multiple healthcare providers or a hospital. Identifying every responsible party is an important part of pursuing the full compensation available under the law.

Documenting the Full Impact of the Loss

A wrongful death case is about more than determining fault. It is also about demonstrating how the loss has affected the surviving family members. We work to document financial losses, lost future income, funeral expenses, and the personal losses recognized under South Carolina law so the claim reflects the full scope of what your family has experienced.

Wrongful Death Claims and Survival Actions

South Carolina recognizes two separate claims that may arise from the same fatal incident. A wrongful death claim addresses eligible family members’ losses. A survival action preserves qualifying claims belonging to the deceased person’s estate.

Claim	Losses it may address	Who benefits
Wrongful death	Lost financial support, companionship, guidance, and beneficiaries’ emotional suffering	Eligible beneficiaries under South Carolina law
Survival action	Medical expenses, conscious pain and suffering, and other qualifying losses before death	The estate, subject to administration and applicable distribution rules

The personal representative generally brings both claims, but the proceeds follow different rules. Wrongful death compensation passes to statutory beneficiaries. Survival proceeds may be subject to estate obligations and distribution under a will or inheritance law.

Both claims may proceed when the evidence supports separate losses, but the same expense cannot be recovered twice. Morris Law evaluates which claims apply and documents the losses each can address.

South Carolina Wrongful Death Deadlines and Shared Fault

South Carolina generally gives the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate three years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Although that may seem like plenty of time, waiting can make it more difficult to preserve important evidence, locate witnesses, and build the strongest possible case.

South Carolina also follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If the person who died is found to have been partially responsible for the accident, any compensation awarded may be reduced by that percentage of fault. However, recovery is still possible as long as the deceased was less than 51% at fault for the incident.

Every wrongful death case presents unique legal and factual issues. Beginning the investigation early gives your attorney the best opportunity to preserve evidence, identify responsible parties, and protect your family’s right to pursue compensation.

Talk With a Myrtle Beach Wrongful Death Attorney Today

The death of a loved one leaves families facing far more than financial uncertainty. It brings unanswered questions, overwhelming grief, and the difficult task of moving forward without someone who should still be here. While no legal claim can undo that loss, pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit can provide accountability and help secure your family’s future.

At Morris Law, we guide families through every stage of the wrongful death process with compassion, honesty, and personal attention. We investigate the circumstances surrounding your loved one’s death, identify everyone who may be legally responsible, and work to pursue the full compensation available under South Carolina law while you focus on your family.

We represent families on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront attorney’s fees and no legal fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf.

If you lost a loved one because of someone else’s negligence in Myrtle Beach or anywhere along the Grand Strand, contact Morris Law today to schedule your free consultation. We will listen to your story, answer your questions, explain your legal options, and help you understand what comes next.