How Much Is My Slip and Fall Case Worth in Summerville, SC?

Understanding Slip and Fall Case Value in Summerville

Slip and fall case values in Summerville depend on the severity of your injuries, the property owner’s degree of negligence, available evidence, and the impact on your daily life and earning capacity.

South Carolina Premises Liability Standards

Property owners owe the highest duty of care to business invitees—customers, guests, and visitors. They must regularly inspect premises, identify hazards, and either fix dangerous conditions or provide adequate warnings. To prove your case, you must show the property owner knew or reasonably should have known about the hazardous condition and failed to address it.

Common Slip and Fall Locations in Summerville

• Big box stores on Dorchester Road: Spilled products, wet floors, cluttered aisles, and improperly stacked merchandise
• Azalea Square shopping area: Cracked sidewalks, uneven parking surfaces, and poorly maintained entrances
• Knightsville businesses: Aging infrastructure, deteriorating steps, and inadequate lighting
• Nexton development areas: Construction debris, temporary walkways, unfinished surfaces, and grading hazards near new buildings
• Grocery stores and restaurants: Spilled liquids, produce debris, grease, and floors without adequate warning signs
• Apartment complexes: Broken stairs, poor lighting, damaged handrails, and unmaintained common areas

Types of Injuries and Settlement Ranges

• Broken hips: Especially devastating for elderly victims. Surgery, rehabilitation, potential nursing care. ($75,000–$300,000+)
• Traumatic brain injuries: Concussions to severe TBI from head strikes during falls. ($100,000–$1,000,000+)
• Spinal injuries: Herniated discs, compression fractures, chronic pain conditions. ($150,000–$500,000+)
• Wrist and arm fractures: Common bracing injuries requiring surgery and therapy. ($15,000–$75,000)
• Knee and ankle injuries: Ligament tears, fractures, dislocations. ($20,000–$100,000)
• Shoulder injuries: Rotator cuff tears and dislocations from fall impact. ($25,000–$100,000)

Factors Affecting Your Case Value

• Evidence of prior complaints: Others reporting the same hazard before your fall significantly strengthens your case
• Surveillance footage: Video showing the hazard existed for an extended period before your fall
• Maintenance failures: Documentation showing the property owner skipped inspections or ignored repair requests
• Severity and permanence of injuries: Lasting disabilities and chronic pain increase case value substantially
• Comparative negligence: SC’s modified comparative negligence rule reduces recovery by your fault percentage. Must be less than 51% at fault to recover.

Summerville’s Growth Creates More Hazards

Summerville’s construction boom brings unique slip and fall risks. New developments create temporary walkways, uneven surfaces, and construction debris near retail and residential areas. Seasonal factors like fallen Spanish moss, moisture, and leaf debris on sidewalks add additional hazards throughout Dorchester County.

Statute of Limitations

You have three years from your fall date to file a lawsuit under SC Code § 15-3-530. However, evidence disappears quickly—surveillance footage gets overwritten, hazards get repaired, witnesses forget. Contact an attorney as soon as possible.