Charleston Slip & Fall Lawyer
Fall injuries are one of the most common reasons people need to go to the emergency room each year. And one of the most common causes of fall injuries is a slip and fall accident. These accidents, in turn, are often the result of negligence on the part of a property owner.
Put simply, if you were hurt in a slip and fall accident that occurred on someone else’s property, the owner or lessor of that premises may be legally responsible for your injuries in a personal injury claim. Our Charleston slip & fall lawyer can investigate your accident and help you determine if you have such a case. The Stanley Law Group has represented slip and fall accident victims in South Carolina since 1990. We understand the legal and technical challenges involved in building a compelling case against a property owner–and we will put that experience to work for you.
Why Your Legal Status Matters in a Slip and Fall Accident
In South Carolina, a property owner is not automatically responsible for every slip and fall accident that may occur on their premises. Instead, the law requires proof that the owner breached some “duty of care” owed to the victim. The scope of this duty depends on a number of factors, including the legal status of the victim.
Essentially, if you are an “invitee,” the property owner owes you the highest degree of care under the law. An invitee is someone who is invited or permitted to remain on the property for the benefit of the owner. In other words, if you are shopping in a store during normal business hours, you are considered an invitee of the owner.
The law provides for a lower duty of care with respect to “licensees” or “trespassers.” A licensee is someone on the premises primarily for their own benefit, such as a social guest visiting someone’s house. Owners still owe licensees a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent harm to the licensee, as well as to warn them about any concealed dangerous conditions on the property. With respect to a trespasser, however, the owner only has a duty to avoid willfully injuring such persons.
Even when it comes to invitees, however, a slip and fall victim must still prove the owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition that caused their injuries. For example, if a customer slips on a puddle of water in a store aisle, they need to show the owner knew about the problem and did nothing–or that the water was there long enough that the owner should have found the problem by implementing proper inspection procedures.
Contact Our Charleston Slip & Fall Lawyer
Slip and fall victims can seek a wide range of economic and non-economic damages under South Carolina law, including compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, and ongoing pain and suffering. Our qualified Charleston slip and fall lawyers can review your case and offer you a more precise estimate of your potential damages. Call the Stanley Law Group at 803-799-4700 or contact us online today to request a free consultation.
