Charleston Premises Liability Attorneys

Securing Fair Compensation for Injured Clients

If you or a loved one were injured while visiting someone else’s property, your family may be entitled to seek compensation through a premises liability case. This is because premises liability law in South Carolina recognizes that property owners have a duty of care to keep their property safe for visitors. If they failed to live up to this standard, and you slipped on a wet floor or suffered a dog bite on their property as a result, a Charleston premises liability lawyer can pursue monetary damages on your behalf.

Schiller & Hamilton Law Firm has years of experience assisting South Carolina clients with personal injury cases of all kinds, so we encourage you to come to us for legal advice after a premises liability accident. Our skilled premises liability attorneys will carefully review the details of your situation before determining if you have a solid Charleston premises liability case to pursue. Call our law firm today to schedule a free consultation with our dedicated legal team.

What Types of Premises Liability Claims Can We Handle for Our Clients?

South Carolina’s premises liability laws take effect when it’s clear that the unsafe conditions of a property resulted in injury to a visitor. These conditions can range quite a bit, with the following being some of the most common examples of premises liability accident cases we take on:

  • Slip and fall accidents
  • Mechanical failures
  • Negligent security
  • Obstructed walkways
  • Poor lighting
  • Fires
  • Unsafe construction sites
  • Falling objects
  • Swimming pool accidents
  • Elevator and escalator accidents
  • Dog bites

These types of premises liability accidents are typically caused by the property owner not resolving unsafe conditions, which could range from wet floors and loose steps to poorly lit parking lots and broken machinery on the property. In short, if you suffered harm in any way at a business or home that someone else owns or operates, you should contact premises liability lawyers to find out if you have a case. Our Charleston premises liability attorneys would be happy to sit down with you and review all the details of what occurred before we advise you on your legal rights, so call our law office today.

How Do You Know If You Have a Strong Premises Liability Claim to Make?

Pursuing compensation after a premises liability accident requires your lawyer to prove a few critical details. The first one is that the property owner had a legal duty of care to ensure their property is safe for visitors. Your premises liability lawyer must then prove that the property owner breached this duty, directly causing your injuries.

It’s important to know that the property owner has a different duty of care depending on the type of visitor you’re considered. South Carolina has four classifications of visitors, including:

  • Invitees: If the property owner invited you to enter their property and stand to benefit by your presence, you’re an invitee. Examples of invitees include customers at retail stores, restaurants, and hotels, as the property owners can profit from them and therefore owe them the highest duty of care to ensure they don’t get injured while there. This means they must maintain a reasonably safe environment and warn invitees of any known dangers that are not open and obvious
  • Licensees: If the property owner did not invite you to enter their property for their benefit but did give permission for you to be there, you’re a licensee. Licensees are usually friends or family visiting the property owner’s home for social reasons. The property owner’s duty of care to licensees is less strict than it is to invitees, as they only have to warn you of hazardous conditions, not search the property for potential hidden dangers
  • Adult trespassers: If you entered the property without permission from the property owner, you’re trespassing and are not owed any duty of care. So, if you’re injured by a wet floor, dog bite, or other dangerous condition while trespassing, you likely don’t have a valid premises liability case. The only exception is if you can provide evidence that the property owner intentionally inflicted injury on you
  • Children: If your child was harmed on a person’s property, it could be considered a premises liability accident, even if they were trespassing. This is because property owners always owe children a duty of care, as children should be protected from harm regardless of why they’re on the property. According to the attractive nuisance doctrine, property owners have to acknowledge that certain attractions – such as pools and trampolines – might appeal to children and therefore must be properly secured. If they’re not and a child is injured or killed as a result, the negligent property owner could be held liable

Determining which of these categories you or your loved one fall into will be one of the first steps in your Charleston premises liability accident case. Once that step is complete, your premises liability attorney will determine who should be held financially responsible, usually the negligent property owner and their insurance company. At that point, your lawyer will consider the accident’s impact on your life before calculating your compensation. If you’re ready to recover damages by taking legal action, call a Charleston premises liability lawyer today to start your case.

What Damages Can You Seek through a Charleston Premises Liability Case?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the medical bills you owe after your premises liability accident in Charleston, it’s time to consider some legal options to ensure the property owner is held accountable for their negligence so you can get financial help. In general, bringing a personal injury claim against the negligent property owner and their insurance company is the most straightforward way to recover damages.

The economic and non-economic damages our Charleston premises liability lawyer will pursue for you include:

  • Medical bills that cover your hospital stay, surgery, medications, ambulance ride, rehabilitation, and any future medical needs
  • Property damage that covers repairs or replacements to your damaged belongings
  • Lost wages
  • Pain and suffering
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Disfigurement
  • Emotional trauma
  • Mental anguish
  • Humiliation

Your claim may allow you to recover additional damages, depending on your actual expenses and the impact the accident had on your life. For instance, if you have not been able to enjoy your hobbies since the accident occurred or will never be able to work again, your lawyer will make sure your settlement offer takes this into consideration. You might also be entitled to punitive damages if the liable party acted recklessly. Call our South Carolina law firm today to learn more about the compensation you can expect.

How Can Charleston Premises Liability Attorneys Help You?

At Schiller & Hamilton Law Firm, our lawyers have extensive experience helping our clients get the maximum compensation they deserve as they heal from their injuries. If you were the victim of a devastating premises liability accident in South Carolina, you can rest assured we will work tirelessly to make sure the at-fault party is held accountable for their negligence and that you get a fair settlement offer during your recovery period.

We believe personal injury victims should be able to focus on resting and completing their medical treatment plan, not worrying about how to pay their bills or trying to understand complex legal issues. If you’ve been unable to relax and focus on healing since the accident occurred, contact our Charleston law firm for peace of mind. Our premises liability attorneys will work hard to get you the compensation you need. If you’re ready to learn more, call our law firm at 803-902-4583 to schedule a free consultation with our legal team.