Home Premises Liability Slip-and-Fall Accident

Representing People Injured in Charleston Slip-and-Fall Accidents

If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall accident caused by negligence, you might be wondering whether or not you have a claim against the business or the person who caused this accident to happen. Slip-and-falls can cause significant injury and you might have long-term health struggles to contend with after your fall. If you have been injured in this kind of accident, you need to make sure that you understand the options you have to seek compensation for your damages.

There are many kinds of slip-and-fall injuries that can be caused by many different kinds of negligence. When a person or a business owner’s negligence is the reason for your accident, you might be able to pursue for compensation. If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident in South Carolina, all the experienced Charleston premises liability lawyers at Allen Law today, (843) 882-5005 to see how we can help you.

People move at the speed of trust, and we aim to ensure our clients fully trust us with their case.”
- Julian Allen

What Kinds of Injuries Are Common in Slip-and-Fall Accidents?

Slip-and-falls can cause a wide array of injuries, but many of these accidents can cause broken bones, injury to the spine, or head injuries. Serious slip-and-falls can even cause coma or death. Stairs, pools, and wet walkways are common areas for slip-and-falls, and restaurants and places like malls can be the most common places for these kinds of accidents to occur. Areas that are open to the public are required to be kept safe and secure for foot traffic, and you should be able to have the confidence that the places that you are walking are safe.

When falls happen in areas that should have been safe for pedestrian traffic, the owner of the property is held accountable for the unsafe condition that led to the accident. You might have been hurt on private property, but you could also have been injured on a business’ premises. No matter where your slip-and-fall happened, you will want to secure the help of a lawyer to support you through your case.

Who is Liable in a Sidewalk Fall in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, the ownership of the property with a sidewalk on it determines who is liable for your accident. If the sidewalk is in front of someone’s home, the homeowner may be responsible for the condition of the sidewalk that led to your accident. If the sidewalk is located in front of a business, the sidewalk may be their responsibility, and injuries that happen in this location may be considered to be their fault. In other cases it could be a public municipality that maintains the sidewalk who is at fault.

If the sidewalk is a public sidewalk that is not expressly owned by a homeowner or a business owner, the city that maintains it may be held accountable for the condition which led to your accident. Counties or local municipalities might own the sidewalk and this factor will need to be determined before any kind of claim can proceed.

In the case of residential sidewalk falls, there might be some mitigating circumstances that could remove some of the blame from the homeowner for your accident. Homeowners are not allowed to alter the sidewalk or make repairs to it themselves, so if they have reached out to the county or the city to make a repair and this has been documented, the homeowner might not be held liable for your injuries. In this kind of situation, liability would pass to the city or local county instead. This is an example of the kinds of complexities that can make having a lawyer on your side essential.

Other factors that can allow the property owner not to bear liability for your accident are things like the weather and issues related to behavior that you were engaged in when you fell. The various details of the case can make all the difference in determining liability related to your accident.

How Can a Charleston Attorney Help You?

If you have been injured in a South Carolina slip-and-fall accident, a skilled Charleston personal injury lawyer can help you to investigate the ownership of the sidewalk or the location where you were hurt. The investigation of your accident will also include collecting details about the locations and the conditions that might have led to your fall. Expert or witness testimony may be collected as well.

It can be easy for these kinds of accidents to become a case of your word against the homeowner or business owner’s word, and you will want to have expert legal support to make a case that is based on facts. It can be very hard to take on your own defense in these cases, and you should not take settlement offers that you are given without talking to your lawyer first. For those who have ongoing health issues related to their fall, accepting a settlement can cut off any chance for securing the right compensation after your accident.

Work With a Skilled Charleston Slip-and-Fall Lawyer

If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall accident in South Carolina, call the experienced legal team at Allen Law for a free consultation, (843) 882-5005. Helping clients to determine who is liable and then creating a case that shows the how that person’s duty of care was not fulfilled is a matter of pride for us. We make sure that you can get the compensation that you deserve and that you will not have to accept a settlement that does not cover your needs.

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