Terms Used In South Carolina Code 57-7-240

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
If any person shall obstruct unnecessarily any street, public road or highway by permitting any railroad car or locomotive to be or remain upon or across any street, public road or highway for a longer period than five minutes, after notice to remove such car or locomotive has been given to the conductor, engineer, agent or other person in charge of such car or locomotive or shall permit any timber, wood or other obstruction to remain upon or across any such street, road or highway to the hindrance or inconvenience of travelers or any person passing along or upon such street, road or highway, such person so offending shall forfeit and pay for every such offense a sum not exceeding twenty nor less than five dollars and shall be liable for all damages arising to any highway, to be recovered by an action at the suit of the county in which such offense shall have been committed or any person suing for the same, before any magistrate within the county in which such offense shall have been committed or by indictment in the court of general sessions or suit in the court of common pleas. All fines so accruing under the provisions of this section, when collected, shall be paid over by the magistrate to the county treasurer for the district in which such offense was committed. Every twenty-four hours such person, after being notified, shall suffer such obstruction to remain, to the hindrance or inconvenience of travelers or any person going along or upon such road or highway, shall be deemed an additional offense against the provisions of this section.