The last thing you expect when you are shopping in a store or walking across a parking lot is to slip on something wet or trip over something and hit the ground. However, slip and fall accidents in South Carolina happen often, and can result in serious injuries and extraordinary costs. Here’s what you need to know about slip and fall accidents and what to do if you or a loved one were injured.
What Causes Slip & Fall Accidents?
When someone slips or trips and falls, many people assume that it was just an accident or the person who fell just lost their footing. The truth is, there is often more going on behind the scenes with this type of accident. In many cases, the hazard that caused the fall was known about and those who should have eliminated its existence failed to do so.
Common causes of slip and fall accidents include but are not limited to:
- Spills on floors in grocery stores, gas stations, or restaurants
- Broken concrete in parking lots or on sidewalks and walkways
- Clutter on the floor, such as boxes in office or department store walkways
- Broken stairs or poorly constructed stairways
- Torn carpets, broken linoleum, or chipped/broken tiles
- Loose floorboards
- Floors that have been recently waxed or mopped
Frequently, hazards that could cause accidents are known about by the manager or owners of an establishment and are ignored. For example, a manager may neglect to put a wet floor sign out after mopping, or a customer may have informed a store owner of a broken tile and the owner decided not to spend the money to fix it right away. When an owner or manager owes a duty of care to his or her patrons to keep the establishment free from known hazards and fails to do so, he or she may be able to be held legally responsible for the accident.
The Costs of a Slip & Fall Accident
Sometimes, a slip and fall accident results in no more than a scraped knee or a few bruises. However, other falls result in critical injuries like broken bones, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and more. These injuries often result in the need for immediate and extensive medical care, which can be quite costly. The expenses that are frequently related to a slip and fall accident may include:
- Transportation to the hospital via ambulance
- Emergency medical care
- Hospitalization
- Surgical procedures
- Medications
- Physical therapy
- Lost wages during your immediate recovery and potentially in the future
- Temporary or permanent disability
- Pain and suffering now and in the future
It may be in your best interest to pursue a claim for damages related to the accident in order to avoid being financially responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of expenses.
Contact Guest & Brady Today
At Guest & Brady, we’re a team of experienced South Carolina personal injury lawyers who are well versed in the laws surrounding South Carolina slip and fall accidents. We can help you investigate the incident to determine if someone was at fault for the hazard that caused the accident, and we can assist you in bringing a claim forward for damages against them.
If you or a loved one were injured in a slip and fall accident through no fault of your own, you may be eligible for financial compensation. Call our slip and fall lawyers in Greenville, SC today to discuss your case in detail at 864.233.7200, or submit the Free Case Evaluation form on this page. We can help.