Personal Injury Attorneyin Allendale, SC.

We at the Theos Law Firm know that finding the right attorney to represent you is a choice not to be taken lightly.

What Should You Do After a Car Accident in South Carolina?

The moments following the crash are often a blur when you're involved in a car accident. However, per South Carolina law, those on the scene must adhere to legal responsibilities and obligations.

First, try to stop your car and ensure it is positioned safely near the scene of the crash. Then, call 911 to report the accident. While most folks go into full-blown panic mode, you need to stay calm so you can process the situation. If you notice that there are injured people, give them "reasonable assistance." Per South Carolina Code of Laws, that could include transporting hurt people to a hospital or calling an ambulance for them.

If you're in a car crash, you need to be prepared to exchange contact information with other drivers at the accident scene. If the person who caused the collision is present, make sure to get their name, phone number, address, and insurance info. If witnesses are present, get their contact info, too, in case our team needs to obtain their account later.

Next, try to piece together how the car crash happened. This is an appropriate time to take photos of the cars, wreckage, and debris. Ask yourself if you think a vehicle failed to follow the rules of the road, like speeding or failing to stop at a stop sign.

Regardless of how minor your injuries may appear and who may be to blame for the accident, get legal advice from Theos Law Firm first before giving any recorded statements or refusing medical care.

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A Personal Injury Attorney in Allendale, SC You Can Trust

Time and again, auto accident victims agree to early settlements provided by insurance companies because the offer seems like a lot. But what if you return to work after recovering from an accident, only for your pain to return?

With adjusters, lawyers, and investigators at their disposal, insurance agencies will do everything in their power to minimize the compensation you deserve. Don't let them pick on you or silence your voice. If you or a loved are victims of a negligent car or truck accident in South Carolina, contact Theos Law Firm today. We have the team, tools, and experience to fight back on your behalf, no matter how complicated your case may seem.

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To schedule an appointment for your free consultation, contact Theos Law Firm in Allendale today.

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Latest News in Allendale, SC

Tire maker to hire 1,031 in Fairfax; Orangeburg County lands solar plant

FAIRFAX, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Tin Thanh Group Americas, a tire manufacturer, on Tuesday announced plans to establish its first U.S. operations in Allendale County with a $68 million investment that will create 1,031 jobs.Meanwhile, Orangeburg County will be the site of a global solar panel manufacturer’s first U.S. manufacturing plant.Located at Walker Road in Fairfax, Tin Thanh Group Americas will build a new facility in Allendale County.Tin Thanh Group Americas’ South Carolina location will allow the company ...

FAIRFAX, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Tin Thanh Group Americas, a tire manufacturer, on Tuesday announced plans to establish its first U.S. operations in Allendale County with a $68 million investment that will create 1,031 jobs.

Meanwhile, Orangeburg County will be the site of a global solar panel manufacturer’s first U.S. manufacturing plant.

Located at Walker Road in Fairfax, Tin Thanh Group Americas will build a new facility in Allendale County.

Tin Thanh Group Americas’ South Carolina location will allow the company to manufacture and retread large commercial vehicle tires, as well as operate its commercial tire leasing program.

HOW TO APPLY:

People interested in joining the Tin Thanh Group Americas team should email resumes to the company.

“Allendale County welcomes Tin Thanh Group Americas to our community, and we thank them for their investment in our future and our people,” said Allendale County Council Chairman Matthew Connelly. “Each of the more than one thousand jobs will make a difference in the lives of a family in the region because good jobs and good economic development change lives. We look forward to working with this fine company, which is committed to sustainability and good values, bringing prosperity and progress to our area.”

MORE | S.C. wages hit all-time high as 2-state job market stays strong

Supplying energy from reusable sources, Tin Thanh Group Americas will provide operations in recycled energy, closed industry-agriculture, recycled waste and tire leasing while serving the environment, energy, high-tech agriculture and technology markets.

With a focus on sustainability, the company is committed to implementing sustainable practices to lower the carbon-emission level and provide a cleaner environment, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

Operations are expected to be online by September 2024.

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The region already has a history in tire manufacturing, with two Bridgestone plants in Aiken County

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to this project. The council also awarded a $1 million Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Allendale County to assist with the costs of site preparation and infrastructure improvements.

“This announcement once again shows the world has taken notice of the many benefits of doing business in South Carolina,” Gov. Henry McMaster said. “This major $68 million investment and 1,031 new jobs will be transformative for Allendale.”

Orangbuerg County will be the host of a global solar panel manufacturer’s first U.S. manufacturing plant.

Hounen Solar announced plans to invest $33 million in a new manufacturing operations facility that will create 200 new jobs.

The plant is located at 145 Millennium Drive, the company will be leasing a 200,720-square-foot plant. The plant will not only be the first United States plant for Hounen Solar but also the first South Carolina location for the company.

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McMaster said: “Hounen’s investment in Orangeburg County not only adds to the state’s growing renewable energy economy but also shows that South Carolina is a place where companies in every industry can thrive. We look forward to creating a strong partnership with Hounen for years to come and seeing the impact of these 200 new jobs.”

The Orangeburg County facility will allow announced plans to invest $33 million in a new manufacturing operations facility that will create 200 new jobs. to develop, manufacture and sell one gigawatt crystalline silicon PV panels in the U.S.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved the job development credits related to this project and also awarded Orangeburg county a $500,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to help with the costs of building improvements.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

SRS contractor educates students at STEM-based event

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - At a recent community event, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions helped students ease into STEM-based education in Allendale.Students from throughout the greater Allendale, South Carolina recently enjoyed activities and events at the inaugural All in Allendale event which offered fun, food, and music, as well as science, technology, engineering, and math activities.MORE | S.C. loo...

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - At a recent community event, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions helped students ease into STEM-based education in Allendale.

Students from throughout the greater Allendale, South Carolina recently enjoyed activities and events at the inaugural All in Allendale event which offered fun, food, and music, as well as science, technology, engineering, and math activities.

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Kara Meador, Executive Director, of Original Six Foundation, says, “The fun, food, games, and special activities helped draw such a large crowd today. We’re greatly pleased that our primary goal was achieved. And that was: seeing students go from table to table throughout the room participating in a wide variety of interesting and hands-on STEM-based activities. We want to help open their eyes and minds to a world of STEM-related degrees and career paths.”

April Cone, Dean, University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, worked with Meador towards this special day.

“We both agreed that it was vital that All in Allendale be viewed as a benefit for the community as a whole. And that’s exactly what we did…inviting all the residents of Allendale County to visit, enjoy, bond, and learn, as a community for the community,” said Cone.

According to Cone, the event was developed primarily for kindergarten through 12th grade, with an emphasis on easing the intimidation students often feel when undertaking STEM subject matter.

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“STEM should be fun, and there’s certainly a high demand in the workplace for this knowledge, especially at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions,” Cone says.

Keneisha Porter, a fourth-grade teacher at Allendale-Fairfax Elementary, endorsed the event and the educational opportunities it provided for her students, including her daughter K’Jenae whose favorite event was creating geometric domes out of gumdrops and toothpicks.

“The real value of this day is how far can we take STEM curriculum into the 21st century, putting science, engineering, and technology into everything we do to ensure the kids are ready to pursue their careers and doing so holistically,” said Porter. “Apart from being in the classroom, they need these hands-on activities such as 3D printing and virtual reality exhibits. Anything we can do to benefit them in this area is important.”

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Forensic audit of Allendale County finds severe mishandling of finances

ALLENDALE — The sheriff of Allendale County withdrew thousands in cash with no explanation. The clerk of court paid thousands in Christmas bonuses to staff, and to herself, without reporting them to the IRS. And the tiny, rural county has at least 45 bank accounts, some in individuals’ names, according to findings in a new forensic audit.The audit, by Burkett Burkett & Burkett of West Columbia, examined several years of financial records and cited a range of severe accounting deficiencies that left the county at seriou...

ALLENDALE — The sheriff of Allendale County withdrew thousands in cash with no explanation. The clerk of court paid thousands in Christmas bonuses to staff, and to herself, without reporting them to the IRS. And the tiny, rural county has at least 45 bank accounts, some in individuals’ names, according to findings in a new forensic audit.

The audit, by Burkett Burkett & Burkett of West Columbia, examined several years of financial records and cited a range of severe accounting deficiencies that left the county at serious risk of fraud. County Council members heard details of the new report on June 29.

The county lacks checks and balances in its accounting practices, has issued payments without invoices and hasn’t kept a general ledger — one of the most basic of accounting tools — for the past 13 years, the auditors found.

Council members and the county administrator pledged to make improvements and cited changes already underway. They sought the audit after complaining that the county treasurer, who is elected, was not providing them basic information about revenue, among other concerns. The treasurer, Gerzell Chaney, resigned two weeks ago, just days after state lawmakers wrote to Gov. Henry McMaster urging him to take action.

William Goodson, who took over as county administrator in late 2019, has been working to address the escalating crisis since. “This is not a complicated county to run. This is a small business. We do not need 45 bank accounts,” he said.

Ronald Burkett, the auditing firm’s president, presented the audit to council. He said he couldn’t determine if employees had committed financial crimes but pointed to inept accounting that diminished hope of detecting it.

Among top concerns: Sheriff Tom Carter took out a “drug fund” account in his personal name and did not disclose it to the county administrator.

“I can’t imagine why you would have an account (for county funds) in an individual’s name,” Burkett said.

In 2020, more than $11,000 was deposited into sheriff’s “drug fund” account, including one deposit for $10,565 labeled simply “drug money.” Yet, the deposit wasn’t linked to any court proceedings, the audit says.

Carter also personally withdrew thousands of dollars from the account, the audit says. He took out nine cash withdrawals totaling $5,095 but provided no explanation of why he was withdrawing $3,695 of that money, the audit says.

“There was no approval process for these cash withdrawals, no dual control, and no reporting to the County Administrator,” the audit says. “This is a material weakness and creates the potential for fraud.”

Carter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The audit’s revelations come amid a decadelong parade of scandals involving South Carolina sheriffs. Roughly one in three South Carolina counties have seen their sheriffs run afoul of the law.

All told, 14 sheriffs have been accused of violating laws they were sworn to uphold. A fifteenth, this one in Orangeburg, funneled public funds into a bogus credit union to buy a $72,000 mobile home.

The audit is also another blow to a county that has long struggled with soaring poverty, failing schools and government mismanagement. In the past five years, the state took over the county’s low-performing school district for the second time while three of Allendale’s public officials went to jail on embezzlement charges.

All this occurred after the county lost its lone newspaper, the weekly Allendale Sun, in 2015 — depriving residents of a key agent to scrutinize the actions of government officials.

Time and again in South Carolina, a lack of scrutiny and financial controls has led to allegations of mismanagement or worse, The Post and Courier has detailed this year in its Uncovered series. The newspaper has partnered with 16 news outlets to expose misconduct and questionable government actions across the Palmetto State, and explore the roots of those problems.

Beyond the Sheriff’s Office, the Allendale County audit shows far-reaching risks given a lack of checks and balances and a serious lack of accounting across departments:

• Officials have kept no master list of capital assets.

• Payments for women’s jail renovations were made without invoices.

• The county clerk alone has nine bank accounts and is the sole person receiving and distributing money in them. She paid $13,195 in Christmas bonuses to her staff, including herself, out of a discretionary fund in 2020 but didn’t account for them in the county payroll system or report them to the IRS on W-2s. The clerk, Elaine Sabb, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“It’s been going on and going on,” Burkett said. “All of this leads to potential for fraud.”

Tony Bartelme and Glenn Smith contributed to this report from Charleston.

Allendale schools’ chief credited with reviving hope

ALLENDALE, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Allendale Superintendent Dr. Margaret Gilmore is retiring after 40 years in education.After years of trying to revive a failing school system, the state took over and appointed Gilmore to save the district five years ago.Her journey ends this week and as she enters retirement and the community is feeling optimistic about the future.“I will die on that. The school was sinking and she turned it around. I just don’t know what we’re going to do without you,” said a bus dr...

ALLENDALE, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Allendale Superintendent Dr. Margaret Gilmore is retiring after 40 years in education.

After years of trying to revive a failing school system, the state took over and appointed Gilmore to save the district five years ago.

Her journey ends this week and as she enters retirement and the community is feeling optimistic about the future.

“I will die on that. The school was sinking and she turned it around. I just don’t know what we’re going to do without you,” said a bus driver.

When Gilmore took over, Allendale County was in the bottom 5 percent of schools in the state.

Community member Kathy Tharin said, “Our school system was going through a very difficult time at the time that Dr. Gilmore arrived. We were at the bottom of the list of all of the academic scales.”

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After years of hardships, Gilmore stepped in as an outsider from Atlanta, appointed by the State School Superintendent.

“Allendale County doesn’t like outsiders. They don’t take kindly to outsiders,” said Gilmore.

Tharin said: “We were skeptical, but we didn’t know her. But she allowed us to get to know her. And to build that trust, and to listen to what she was trying to do for us. And it showed because Dr. Gilmore spent 80 to 85 percent of her time with the kids in the classroom.”

The road to meeting milestones began with recruiting.

“Number one is to recruit and retain highly effective teachers, and leaders, especially teachers to stand in front of our scholars and educate our scholars was extremely important to me,” said Gilmore.

When she arrived, the graduation rate was in the low 70s. It’s climbed as high as 87.9 percent during her tenure.

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Now, she feels it’s time to shift her focus back to her family.

“I leave every Sunday evening at four o’clock from Atlanta, which is four and a half hours from Allendale and I travel back to Allendale so that I can be on campus Monday morning at 7:30 a.m.,” said Gilmore.

The community wants a new Superintendent just as dedicated.

Tharin said: “They need to consider what she’s done and how she’s done it to make sure that we get an informed and qualified person to fill her size 20 shoes.”

The district is still under state control. The State Superintendent’s Office says they plan to have a new superintendent in place by early fall.

While Allendale has been improving, there are still many milestones that take time to reach before control can be given back to the board of education.

In the meantime, Angela Jacobs will take over as the Interim Administrator.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

With Hurricane Idalia on the way, farmers in Allendale brace for impact

ALLENDALE, S.C. (WJBF) – Farming has been a way of life for many in Allendale. But with Hurricane Idalia expected to have major impacts in the area, farmers aren’t taking any chances.Experts from Clemson’s extension office in Allendale County say one of the things farmers need to do to prepare is to protect their livestock.Along with having access to fresh water and food, they say farmers have a couple more important things to take care of.“You need to make sure they get to higher...

ALLENDALE, S.C. (WJBF) – Farming has been a way of life for many in Allendale. But with Hurricane Idalia expected to have major impacts in the area, farmers aren’t taking any chances.

Experts from Clemson’s extension office in Allendale County say one of the things farmers need to do to prepare is to protect their livestock.

Along with having access to fresh water and food, they say farmers have a couple more important things to take care of.

“You need to make sure they get to higher ground,” said Area Livestock and Forges Agent Hillary Pope. “We don’t know if you live in a flooded state/area. So they need to be able to get to higher ground. Have some way to ID your livestock, you can get some livestock safe spray paint and spray paint your number on the side.”

But some farmers also say protecting their crops needs to be a priority as well.

Baynard Connelly has been farming his whole life, and he says the rain would be great for his corn, but the potential heavy wind damage would not.

“I’m worried about the wind more so than the rain,” said Connelly. “We’re in a drought situation down here now, so we need the water, but not the wind to go with it.”

According to Connelly, at his farm they have 3,000 acres of corn, and him along with 11 other people in his family have been working day and night to cut the corn.

After working for the past couple days, they are down to the last 500 acres.

“Well we’re harvesting corn right now. We’ve been almost running around the clock–cutting at night when we could. So they cut last night, and they’re cutting right now,” said Connelly.

But even with farmers doing the best they can to prepare, Pope says there’s no way to predict how bad the damage could be.

“We won’t necessarily know the impact until after the storm. It can go many different ways,” said Pope.

The VIPIR 6 Alert Team at NewsChannel 6 expects the storm to hit Allendale starting in the morning, but the worst of Idalia will come tomorrow afternoon.

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