Business owners may be liable for injuries on their premises

Winter conditions such as ice and snow can lead to more slip and fall accidents. Pedestrians who are injured when they fall on icy pathways or sidewalks outside of a south Carolina business might have claims for damages based on a theory of premises liability. When a person is injured while on the property of another, the owner or possessor of the property may be held legally responsible.

Generally speaking, premises liability law does not require the owner of a property to remove snow or ice outside that has accumulated due to weather. If the property owner decides to remove snow or ice, he or she must not remove it negligently. Slip and fall accidents also often occur due to poor or inadequate lighting outdoors. People might trip over curbs, fall down stairs or trip due to uneven surfaces, holes or cracks. Owners might be held liable if they knew or should have known of a dangerous condition and yet failed to fix it.

In most cases a property owner is not liable for injuries that happen outside the business in public areas, on the sidewalk, for example. However, courts might find a business owner liable for an injury on the sidewalk if the sidewalk is used only by customers of the business. The property owner is more likely to have liability for injuries that occur on the property’s own private walkways.

A person who suffers injury as a result of a slip and fall on the property of another might be entitled to recover for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages or other damages. An attorney with experience in personal injury law might be able to help in a slip and fall case by visiting the site of the injury and gathering evidence to build a case for trial.