ALLISON SULLIVAN

The daughter of a pastor and a nurse, Allison Sullivan credits her parents with instilling in her a servant’s heart. Growing up she saw firsthand how compassion and committed leadership impacts lives.

“I view my role as a servant to my clients and it is a rewarding responsibility to help them navigate some of the most difficult times of their lives, while serving as their voice in pursuit of justice,” she says.

Sullivan, a partner with Bluestein Attorneys in Columbia, represents plaintiffs in workers compensation and personal injury matters. She also advocates for veterans and their families in her role leading the firm’s Camp Lejeune Litigation Group.

She received her her law degree from the University of South Carolina, where she graduated with honors.

Considered a thought leader in her areas of practice, Sullivan has been a featured speaker and author contributing to professional education events for professional groups including the South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Association of Justice, Injured Workers Advocates, and the National Business Institute.

GEORGE SINK SR.

CEO, LAWYER, GEORGE SINK, P.A., INJURY LAWYERS | CHARLESTON

George Sink credits his parents with instilling in him a strong work ethic. He describes his hardworking mother and father on his firm’s website.

“My parents were a factory worker and a schoolteacher,” he writes “They both worked hard, saved, and made the best of the opportunities America presented while raising me and my two younger sisters.”

Born and raised in Detroit, Sink taught school for two years before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. He is the CEO of George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers, based in Charleston.

In addition to earning his law degree from Emory University School of Law, Sink has an MBA and a Master’s degree in history from Western Michigan University. He’s been practicing law for five decades, starting in Charleston in 1974.

He struck out on his own in 1977, serving the needs of middle-class people in a variety of areas of the law. He began narrowing his focus and as his practice grew, he decided to limit his scope to personal injury.

Today, his practice includes 39 attorneys.

Emily

Emily Hanewicz Tong says her primary goal in life is to leave the world a little better than she found it, and she draws inspiration from personal injury attorneys who achieve that goal through their work.

“A personal injury law practice enables you to advocate for safer product design, better safety procedures in commercial establishments, and improved driving habits, all while advocating for just compensation for your client,” she says.

Born in Trenton, N.J. and raised in Brookfield, Conn., Tong received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from La Salle University and immediate began pursuing a career in law. She relocated to the Charleston area in 2010 and started working full time for a real estate law firm during the day while attending Charleston School of Law’s part-time degree program at night. That’s when she decided to focus on personal injury, and secured a second part time job as a paralegal with a law firm in Goose Creek.

After earning her law degree, she took a job as an associate with Wigger Law Firm and became a partner in 2019.

$6.25M SETTLEMENT

Plaintiff hit by box truck while driver was texting settles for $6.25 M

Verdict or Settlement? Settlement

Total award: $6,250,000; $6,000,000 settlement with Defendants (limits of $1,000,000 liability policy and $5,000,000 excess policy); $250,000 settlement with UIM carrier (limits of stacked bodily injury and property damage UIM coverage)

Settlement date: November 2022

Defense attorneys: Withheld

Plaintiff attorneys: Douglas E. Jennings and John Dodds IV of Yarborough Applegate, LLC, Charleston, and Gerald E. Harmon, Jr. and James R. Felts, IV of Harmon & Felts, P.A., Georgetown, S.C.

Plaintiff’s Experts: Al Duncan of Southeastern Traffic Accident Reconstruction in Greenwood, (accident reconstructionist), Jen Masse of Masse Medical in Summerville (life care planner), Christopher J. Watkins of Certified Computer Forensics in Columbia, (cellphone expert) and Billy Weaver of Safety & Compliance Consultants in Kemah, Texas (trucking safety and compliance expert)

B y H aviland S tewart h stewart @ nclawyersweekly com

A motorist who was hit by a vehicle reached a $6.25 million settlement in November.

In the spring of 2021, while traveling on a rural highway in South Carolina the plaintiff’s vehicle was struck by a 20-year-old commercial truck driver who was traveling 10 mph over the speed limit and disregarded a stop sign while texting.

The truck collided with the plaintiff’s vehicle at approximately 55 miles per hour, causing catastrophic injuries to plaintiff who was airlifted from the scene.

According to plaintiff attorney, John Dodds IV, the collision was caught on a dashcam video by a logging truck traveling in the opposite direction. The truck driver never applied his brakes and was visibly distracted by what was discovered to be a lengthy back and forth text conversation on his cellphone.

The driver and employer denied all liability. The driver’s report to law enforcement attempted to avoid responsibility by claiming the brakes on the truck were defective. According to Dodds, the driver’s report was inconsistent with the telematics data from the truck and his cell phone.

With the assistance of a cellphone forensic expert, the plaintiff’s counsel conducted a download of the driver’s phone, limited to the timeframe surrounding the collision. The cell phone data confirmed that the driver was texting prior to and at the time of the collision, which was confirmed by the GPS tracking system and electronic control module data from the truck.

“The facts of this case told a story that would have triggered every juror’s worst fear, a young driver speeding, texting, and behind the wheel of a 20,000-pound box truck,” plaintiff attorney Douglas E. Jennings said. “This combination of speed and inattentiveness not only resulted in life-altering injuries to my client, but also presented serious risk to the defendants and their insurers.”

After initially denying it on multiple occasions, the driver later admitted during his videotaped deposition that he was texting and driving after being shown the cellphone report and other corroborating documents.

There were several depositions and the case settled in November 2022 for a total of $6.25 million.

Many details of this case were withheld due to a confidentiality agreement.

$2 MILLION SETTLEMENT Deadly event negligence leads to $2M settlement

Type of Action: Event negligence

Injuries Alleged: Wrongful death

Name of Case: Confidential

Court: Confidential

Special Damages: No economic loss claimed Verdict or Settlement: Settlement

Date of Verdict or Settlement: Nov. 18, 2022

Attorneys for Plaintiffs: Samuel R. Clawson Jr., Christy R. Fargnoli, and Bert G. Utsey, III of Clawson Fargnoli Utsey, LLC, Charleston, Brent Stewart of Stewart Law Offices, Rock Hill Attorneys for Defendants: Confidential Were Liability and Damages Contested: No

B y H aviland S tewart hstewart @ nclawyersweekly . com

On Nov. 18 the estate of a man who died at a motorsports event received a $2 million settlement for event negligence.

According to one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, Samuel R. Clawson Jr., the deceased was at a racetrack as a motorsports event spectator when he began to experience shortness of breath. It was alleged that the event did not have enough ambulances, paramedics and emergency medical technicians present, and that the event’s secu -

$1M rity staff did not have adequate emergency medical training.

It was further alleged that the security staff made errors in the way they attempted to provide first aid as the deceased went into respiratory distress. Outside EMS eventually responded to the scene and transported the plaintiff to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The deceased was survived by his parents.

Many details of this case have been withheld due to a confidentiality agreement. ◆

Settlement

Estate of underage drunk driver awarded $1M after car crash

Type of Action: Dram shop

Injuries Alleged: Wrongful death

Name of Case: Confidential

Court: Confidential

Tried Before: N/A

Judge or Mediator: N/A

Special Damages: No economic loss claimed

Settlement amount: Settlement $1,000,000

Date of Verdict or Settlement: Nov. 23, 2022

Most Helpful Experts: N/A

Attorneys for Plaintiffs: Samuel R. Clawson, Jr. and Christy R. Fargnoli of Clawson Fargnoli Utsey, LLC, Charleston, Christopher L. Jones Attorney at Law, Greenville.

Attorneys for Defendants: Confidential Were Liability and Damages Contested: No

B y H aviland S tewart

h stewart @ nclawyersweekly com

The estate of a motorist who died in a car accident after drinking at a bar was awarded $ million based on violations of industry standards. After failing to be properly monitored at a bar that allowed customers 18 and older on the premise, an 18-yearold plaintiff died in a single vehicle car accident after consuming alcohol on bar property.

The plaintiff’s family settled for $1 million due to the establishments violations of industry standards.

Prior to the accident, the plaintiff visited a bar that allowed customers who were between the ages of 18 and 20 to be present on the premises. The bar required underage patrons to wear distinctive “under 21” wristbands to prevent them from consuming alcohol. However, according to plaintiff attorney, Samuel R. Clawson Jr., the bar only checked for “under 21” wristbands when customers attempted to order alcoholic drinks from a bartender or server. The establishment did nothing to ensure that underage customers were not drinking alcohol secured through other means on their property, Clawson reported.

Subsequently, the bar did not pre- vent plaintiff from consuming multiple alcoholic beverages provided to him by customers who were 21 and who had been legally served at the bar.

Failure to ensure that underage customers are not consuming alcohol on the premise is a clear violation of industry standards. According to Clawson, all bars who allow underage customers have a duty to monitor not only sale and service of alcohol by its employees, but also consumption of alcohol on the premises by patrons under the age of 21.

“Our state legislature has correctly determined that these individuals are legally incapable of making responsible decisions about the consumption of alcohol and has prevented them from purchasing or consuming alcohol,” Clawson said. “Bars have an absolute obligation to ensure that minor patrons are not only unable to purchase alcohol on their premises, but also not able to consume alcohol on their premises.”

As a result of the bar’s violation of these standards, which are designed to protect underage customers, the plaintiff became intoxicated on the premises. While attempting to drive home, the plaintiff was involved in a single vehicle car vs. tree collision, which ultimately resulted in his death.

“This was never about the financial recovery for our client’s family,” plaintiff attorney Christy Fargnoli said. “This was about holding a bar accountable for its business decision to allow patrons under the legal drinking age to be on the premises but fail to employ a sufficient number of security staff to monitor the actions of those underage patrons.” ◆

$$1 MILLION SETTLEMENT

Dram Shop pays $1M after accident causes fatal injuries

Type of Action: Dram Shop

Injuries Alleged: Wrongful death and personal injury

Name of Case: Confidential