( 300+)In 1956, Angela’s grandfather, J. Marvin Elliott, was tragically electrocuted by a dangerously installed and uninsulated power line maintained by Black River Electric Cooperative. He was repairing a well on his property when 7,200 volts of electricity hit him from the power line above. The negligence that led to his death left behind a widow and seven children, including Angela’s father, Dick Elliott
The electrical engineering expert testified at the initial trial that Black River could have made the electric lines safe. Increasing the height of the poles to 40 feet, a safe height given the length of the well pipe, would have cost less than $40.00.
The family took Black River to court and won the largest settlement in the state’s history at the time. However, Black River refused to accept the jury award and forced the family into two additional years of difficult litigation. During this time, Angela’s father started a boxing career to earn money and financially support the family. Despite these difficult financial circumstances brought upon the family by Mr. Elliott’s death, Black River refused to relent. Hoping to force the family into a settlement, Black River appealed the jury verdict and delayed payment to the family. They appealed first to the South Carolina Court of Appeals and lost before appealing again to the South Carolina Supreme Court. The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the landmark jury verdict in July of 1958, pursuant to Elliott v. Black River Electric Cooperative. It was one of South Carolina’s most significant wrongful death cases to date and helped establish precedent for wrongful death liability and punitive damages in South Carolina. This same precedent paved the way for the protection of other injured and hurt individuals alerting companies that if they place profits before people, they will pay.
Angela’s family started from humble beginnings with her grandfather working as a local farmer in Cassett, South Carolina and tending to crops and livestock. He was also a proud carpenter that built his own home and helped other families in the area build theirs.
That case didn’t just change Angela’s family; it shaped her life. It gave her a clear purpose: to fight for families, to seek justice, and to hold those responsible accountable.
This legacy continues with Angela today. She works tirelessly to help injury victims recover the compensation they need to move forward. Every case she takes is personal because she knows firsthand how negligence can devastate a family, and how justice can help put it back together.
If you or a loved one who has been hurt because of someone else’s carelessness, you deserve a lawyer who will fight like it’s personal because for Angela Frazier, it always is.
Learn more at https://law.justia.com/cases/south-carolina/supreme-court/1958/17446-1.html
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