Our Slip and Fall Attorneys Can Help with Your Accident
When preventable accidents result in serious injury, victims can sustain tremendous losses. Victims often incur significant medical expenses and lose income due to not being able to work. In addition, people who are hurt in accidents often experience substantial physical and emotional pain and suffering. Fortunately, South Carolina laws allow victims to recover compensation for these and other losses that they may experience as a result of a preventable accident. Our Slip and Fall Lawyers at the Strom Law Firm are familiar with litigating South Carolina personal injury cases can often help victims recover substantially more compensation than they would be able to retain on their own, so it is highly advisable for anyone injured in an accident to discuss their options with an experienced Slip and Fall Lawyers.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, or any permanent impairment. The Strom Law Firm, LLC has years of experience helping clients recover damages for slip and fall injuries. Call our Slip and Fall Lawyers today to discuss the details of your case with one of our experienced attorneys.
Our slip and fall lawyers help victims who were injured in:
- Grocery stores and other retail settings
- Restaurants, bars, taverns, and nightclubs
- Fast food restaurants and coffee shops
- Malls, stadiums, or hotels
- Concert venues
- Sidewalks or driveways
- Elevators or escalators
- Private residences
Our lawyers also handle many other claims related to premises liability, everything from the playground and swimming pool accidents to elevator accidents, government property accidents, and more. Visit our Premises Liability Page for more information.
Proving a Slip and Fall Liability Claim
In order to establish liability for your injuries, you must present evidence that the owners did not maintain the property; that they or their employees created unsafe conditions which resulted in the injury; or that the owner knew about the dangerous problem or hazard and failed to remedy the dangerous situation or to warn visitors about the situation, either verbally or through clear and adequate signage.
The unusual dilemma with slip and fall accident cases is that often there are no witnesses. You will also be fighting against the insurance adjuster for the property, who is trained to dispute liability and deny your claim.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, your first priority is making sure you are safe and obtaining treatment for any serious or life-threatening injuries.
After making sure that you are safe you should:
- Document exactly what happened, this includes taking down notes, and taking pictures of the unsafe conditions and surrounding areas
- Make a complaint or file an incident report with the business owner or the manager on duty
- Obtain a copy of the incident report you file with the manager
- Secure a copy of any additional incident reports completed by the manager or property owner
- Write down the names and phone numbers of each witness that may have seen the accident and/or rendered assistance
- Do not discuss your case with anyone
Why You Should Not Speak to an Insurance Adjuster After Your Accident or Injury
Very soon after your accident, you can expect that an insurance adjuster will be contacting you. Their goal is to limit the amount of liability on their part, and they will be hoping to speak with you before you’ve obtained qualified legal representation. Do not give any statements to the insurance adjuster. The statements you make can potentially be used to limit or compromise your claim. It is their job to resolve claims with as little a loss as possible to the insurance company. They do not have your best interests in mind.
You are under no obligation to speak with an insurance adjuster and should never do so before you consult with your personal injury attorney.
What is Comparative Negligence in South Carolina?
Slip and fall accidents can be the result of a number of unsafe and negligent conditions including:
- A wet or damp floor
- A foreign object on the floor
- An abrupt change in floor levels or unsafe steps
- Poor lighting
- Unsafe steps, flooring, pavements, or parking lots
However, in order to prove liability on the part of the property owner, there are a number of factors that come into play. The first of which is, as discussed above, whether the property owner failed to properly maintain the premises, knew about unsafe conditions and did not act, or created, or allowed their employees to create unsafe conditions.
The next consideration has to do with the concept of “reasonableness” — whether or not the property owner made a reasonable effort to keep the premises safe and reasonably maintained enough to prevent injuries or other harm to come to the invitees and licensees who enter the grounds of the property.
The third concept involved in slip and fall injuries in most states, including the state of South Carolina, is that of “comparative negligence.” Put simply, this refers to shared responsibility in an accident. Within a comparative negligence system, you can be partially at fault for an accident and still receive damages, as long as the defendant is found to be more at fault for your accident than you were.
In states that do not have this system, if you were partially at fault for an accident, you could be barred from being awarded compensation at all. That said, another factor to keep in mind is that under the doctrine of comparative negligence, the amount of your compensation can be reduced by the amount of fault you share in the occurrence of the accident.
Possible Compensation in a Slip and Fall Accident
Injuries resulting from your slip and fall accidents can have considerable consequences upon your life and livelihood. There may be medical and physical therapy bills stemming from your physical recovery. You may have lost wages from having to miss work due to your injuries. You may even have further suffering as a result of your accident. Compensation for your injuries may include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost future earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of quality of life
- Other damages
Call Today for a Free Consultation with Our Slip and Fall Lawyers
The most important thing to consider after you have suffered a fall is your personal health and well being. Once you’ve regained your safety, it’s important to seek the advice of a qualified slip and fall accident lawyers. The sooner our slip and fall lawyers get involved with your case, the more likely we will be able to investigate the scene and develop the evidence to protect your claim. You can be certain that the trained insurance adjuster for the store or property will be eager to do everything they can in an attempt to minimize your accident injury claim. Call us today (803) 252-4800 for a free consultation with our lawyers to discuss the facts of your case. Let us focus on protecting your rights so that you can focus on getting better. We are located in Barrister Hall 6923 N. Trenholm Rd, Columbia SC 29206-1707
