Carolina Personal Injury News

SC Mayor Elect Involved In Car Accident And Brain Injury

Posted on May 22, 2010

South Carolina mayor-elect Steve Benjamin is facing controversy regarding an SC car accident that took place on April 21 in Columbia, South Carolina. During the car crash, a Clarion Hotel waitress, Deborah Rubens, suffered a serious head injury and coma and is looking at a long and painful recovery.

The SC car accident took place just hours after Benjamin snagged a surprise victory in the election. The mayor-elect was driving to an early meeting with officials while Rubens was driving to work. At the time of the crash, Rubens was turning right onto Gervais from Pickens while Benjamin was traveling on Gervais. While Benjamin, who was driving an SUV, was not injured, Rubens, who was driving a compact Toyota, suffered very serious injuries. She was rushed to Palmetto Health Richland, where she remained in a coma for several days. Currently, the woman is talking and attending speech therapy, though she is still not able to walk or eat. In addition, she has memory problems and is often confused – and she does not remember the morning of the crash.

Many believe that the South Carolina car crash investigation should be handed over to State Police, but Columbia Police say that there is no protocol for that to happen and that the Police Chief did not make that decision. There are three witnesses to the accident who are being interrogated, while the mayor-elect’s car black box is also being examined. Some witnesses say that Benjamin’s headlights were not on at the time of the crash. Either way, the public’s opinion of the future mayor has already been affected by this incident.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and closed head injuries. In fact, our firm in 2000 helped a brain-damaged client receive what was then the largest verdict for a brain injury case in Virginia history. Then in the year 2012 our firm helped a brain injury client receive a $21 million dollar verdict.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and and we have been named a North Carolina "Best Law Firm" for personal injury law since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Rick and Jim have been listed in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and our firm has the highest rating of AV from national lawyer ranking organization Martindale-Hubbell. That means we have a reputation for demonstrating preeminent legal skill.
We serve every area of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks, Nags Head and the western mountains, as well as all the cities and counties in between. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg. While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call promptly.