As a visitor at a business or someone else’s private property in Rock Hill, South Carolina, you have rights. When you get hurt because the owner of the premises is negligent in maintaining the property in a safe condition, you can hold them accountable for any medical bills, loss of income, and suffering you experienced. The award-winning Rock Hill premises liability lawyers at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys can help you maximize your recovery.
Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys has been trusted by accident victims and families in Rock Hill since our founding in 1980. Collectively, our team of top-rated South Carolina trial attorneys has over 150 years of experience. Our fierce, tireless pursuit of justice has helped us win more than $100 million in damages for clients like you.
Don’t let a powerful business or insurance company dictate the terms of your case. Force a fair fight by enlisting the help of our respected legal team. We offer a free consultation. Contact our law office in Rock Hill, SC, today at 803-324-7574.
How Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys Can Help if You’ve Been Hurt on Someone Else’s Property in Rock Hill, SC
How can you prove a property owner was negligent? What kind of evidence will best support your case? What happens if the property owner refuses to take responsibility for your accident and injuries? How can you know if a settlement offer you get is fair, or if you’re being lowballed?
These questions are important, but not ones that you should have to find the answers to on your own. Level the playing field and give yourself the time to focus on getting better by trusting our Rock Hill personal injury lawyers to handle your case.
Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys is a recognized leader in personal injury litigation by Super Lawyers, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, The National Trial Lawyers, The National Association of Distinguished Counsel, and other top legal organizations.
We put our clients’ needs above all else and do everything in our power to help them come out on top.
When you turn to us for help with your premises liability claim, we will:
- Thoroughly investigate your accident to understand the cause and liability
- Evaluate evidence that’s obtained through the discovery process
- Depose the property owner, witnesses, and other important parties to your case
- Enlist expert witnesses to offer guidance as we build your case and calculate what your damages are worth
- Utilize smart negotiation tactics and work to recover a meaningful settlement from the property owner and its insurance company
- Have a respected South Carolina litigator bring your premises liability lawsuit to trial
Don’t worry about the cost of asking for help. There are no upfront costs or fees when you hire Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys. Our premises liability lawyers in Rock Hill work on contingency. We only get paid when we recover compensation for your premises liability claim.
Learn more about why you’ll want our personal injury law firm fighting for you by contacting our Rock Hill law office today. Your first case assessment is free.
What Is Premises Liability?
Premises liability is a legal theory that imposes a duty of care on landowners in the State of South Carolina. Owners must take certain steps to protect invited visitors and guests from getting hurt on their premises. Failure to do so can result in liability when a visitor is injured or killed.
The lengths to which an owner must go to keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition ultimately depends on the type of guest on the property. South Carolina recognizes three types of guests: invitees, licensees, and trespassers.
Invitees
Invitees are owed the highest duty of care in South Carolina because their visit benefits the property owner in some way. You’d be considered an invitee if you enriched the owner’s business by visiting their property. Eating dinner at a restaurant, buying gas at a convenience store, or shopping at a local grocery store would all be examples of invitees.
To protect an invitee, an owner has the duty to inspect the premises for hazards, fix dangerous conditions when they’re discovered, and warn about known threats to safety.
Licensees
Property owners owe less of a duty of care to licensees than invitees. Owners enjoy no business-related benefits from a licensee’s visit. You might be considered an invitee if you enter a store for the sole purpose of using the restroom or if you go to a friend’s house to watch a game.
An owner has no duty to inspect their premises to protect a licensee. However, the owner does still assume a duty to fix hazards when they’re discovered and provide adeuqate warnings.
Trespassers
Invitees and licensees enter an owner’s property with consent. Trespassers do not. In South Carolina, owners typically don’t have an obligation to protect trespassers from harm.
There is an exception. If a child trespasses on property, the owner has an obligation to protect them from attractive nuisances that might exist on the premises. An attractive nuisance is something dangerous that would likely encourage a child to enter the property, such as a swimming pool.
We Handle All Types of Rock Hill Premises Liability Cases
Many different types of cases fall under the umbrella of premises liability.
At Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys, we have extensive experience advocating for clients in premises liability cases, including:
- Dog bites
- Swimming pool accidents
- Elevator accidents
- Broken sidewalk accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Trip and fall accidents
- Negligent security
- Assault
- Sexual assault
- Amusement park accidents
- Falling object accidents
- Building collapse accidents
- Hotel accidents
Experience can make a huge difference in how your premises liability case unfolds. Don’t hesitate to put our 150+ years of combined experience to work for you. Contact our law office in Rock Hill today to set up a time for a free consultation.
What Damages Can I Recover Through a Premises Liability Claim?
Filing a premises liability claim gives you the opportunity to seek compensatory damages from a careless property owner or insurance company.
Compensatory damages can include both economic and non-economic awards.
Economic damages help to cover accident-related costs you can verify or project, such as:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Property damage
- Nursing care
- Rehabilitation
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Funeral expenses
Non-economic damages have a different purpose. Sometimes, the consequences of being in an accident don’t have a set value or cost. Instead, they affect you in a way that’s unique and personal. Non-economic awards try to help you cope with the trauma and change you experience.
Examples include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- Inconvenience
- Chronic physical pain
- Embarrassment
You may have the right to seek punitive damages at trial. If a jury is convinced that the property owner intended for you to get hurt or displayed a conscious disregard for your safety, it can award you this additional compensation.
How Could Shared Fault Affect My South Carolina Premises Liability Settlement?
The owner of the premises might try to blame you for your accident. If these tactics are successful, it can hurt your ability to recover compensation. South Carolina works under a system of modified comparative negligence with a 51 percent bar to recovery.
Simply put, you can’t get damages from a third party when your liability is greater than half.
You can recover a limited monetary award from a third party if you’re assigned 50 percent or less responsibiltiy for your accident.
The reduction in damages is proportionate to fault. If you’re 15 percent to blame for your accident, your financial recovery will be reduced by 15 percent.
Our Rock Hill premises liability attorneys will be prepared for the defense’s attempts to blame you. We’ll counter their tactics and work to safeguard your ability to get every cent you deserve.
How Long Will I Have To File a Premises Liability Lawsuit in South Carolina?
South Carolina has a three-year statute of limitations that applies to most premises liability lawsuits. This includes matters of both personal injury and wrongful death.
You must file your claim before the three-year deadline expires. Once time runs out, you will no longer reserve the right to demand accountability from a negligent business or property owner in Rock Hill.
Contact our law offices as soon as you can for help confirming the time limit for your case, as there are exceptions to the statute of limitations in some circumstances.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Respected Rock Hill Premises Liability Lawyer
Businesses, government agencies, and private property owners in Rock Hill, SC, have a duty to protect you when you’re invited onto their premises. If they don’t, they can be liable for resulting injuries and losses. Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys is here to help you take a stand and fight for the justice you deserve.
Our Rock Hill premises liability lawyers have 150+ years of collective experience and a reputation for securing top results. We’ve led our clients to $100 million in damages (and counting), and we’re here to make a difference in your life, too.
Contact our Rock Hill law office today at 803-324-7574 to speak with a member of our legal team. Your initial case assessment is free.