Premises Liability

Trial-tested premises liability lawyers committed to thorough preparation in every matter.

If you have been injured on another person’s or business’s property in Columbia due to a hazardous condition that should have been addressed, you may have a legal claim against the property owner. A Columbia, SC premises liability lawyer at Woron and Dhillon, LLC can evaluate your situation and help you pursue the compensation you deserve. With more than 30 years of combined experience representing injured clients throughout South Carolina, our attorneys have recovered millions of dollars in personal injury cases, including premises liability matters. Contact our office to schedule a free consultation with a premises liability attorney in Columbia, SC.

Premises Liability Lawyer Columbia, SC

Premises liability is the area of law that holds property owners and occupiers accountable when someone is injured because of an unsafe condition on their property. The legal theory is grounded in negligence. A property owner who knows about a dangerous condition, or who should have discovered it through reasonable inspection, and fails to correct it or warn visitors about it can be held liable for the injuries that result.

South Carolina law classifies visitors, and the duty a property owner owes depends on which category applies. Business invitees, such as customers in a retail store or patrons at a restaurant, are owed the highest level of care. The property owner must actively inspect for hazards, address them promptly, and warn of conditions that cannot be immediately corrected. Licensees, including social guests, are owed a lesser but still meaningful duty. Trespassers are generally owed the least protection, with one important exception: children who encounter an attractive nuisance on the property may be owed a heightened duty regardless of whether they had permission to be there.

Types of Premises Liability Cases We Handle in Columbia

Property injuries can happen virtually anywhere. What ties these cases together is the owner’s failure to maintain safe conditions or to warn visitors about known dangers. Our attorneys represent clients across Columbia, SC, in the following categories of premises liability claims.

• Slip and fall accidents. Wet floors, recently waxed surfaces, leaking refrigeration units in grocery stores, icy sidewalks left untreated. These are among the most common causes of premises liability injuries in Columbia. The critical question in any slip and fall case is whether the property owner knew about the hazard or allowed it to persist long enough that they should have discovered it.
• Trip and fall accidents. Uneven pavement, cracked sidewalks, torn carpeting, loose floorboards, and cluttered aisles create hazards that are easy for a property owner to overlook but devastating for the person who falls. These cases often involve disputes about how long the condition existed and whether the owner had constructive notice.
• Dog bite. When a dog attacks a visitor on someone else’s property, the property owner may bear liability alongside the animal’s owner. This is particularly relevant in apartment complexes, rental properties, and public spaces where landlords or managers knew a tenant’s animal posed a risk and failed to act.
• Negligent security. A property owner who fails to provide adequate security measures, such as working locks, functional lighting, or security personnel in areas with a known crime risk, can be held responsible when a visitor is assaulted or otherwise harmed. Nightclubs, parking garages, apartment buildings, and hotels are frequent settings for these claims.
• Swimming pool accidents. Property owners who maintain pools, whether residential or commercial, must comply with safety requirements including fencing, gate locks, and adequate supervision. The attractive nuisance doctrine is particularly relevant when a child gains unsupervised access to a pool.
• Elevator and escalator injuries. Mechanical failures, sudden stops, and inadequate maintenance of elevators and escalators in commercial buildings, shopping centers, and parking structures can result in falls, crush injuries, and broken bones. Liability may extend to both the property owner and the maintenance contractor.
• Falling merchandise and debris. Retail stores that stack inventory improperly or fail to secure shelving can be liable when merchandise falls and injures a customer. Construction sites that fail to contain debris or materials near pedestrian areas present similar hazards.
• Hazardous conditions in parking lots. Crumbling asphalt, poor drainage, inadequate lighting, and missing or faded lane markings create pedestrian hazards that property owners have a duty to correct. Many parking lot injuries occur in retail shopping centers and office complexes.

Why Choose Woron and Dhillon, LLC as My Premises Liability Lawyer in Columbia, SC?

Attorneys Focused on Property Injury Claims

Brett Woron has been practicing law since 2010 and earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and named to the Legal Elite of the Midlands. He is a member of the South Carolina Association for Justice and the Richland County Bar Association. Amar Dhillon brings 26 years of legal experience to the firm. His practice spans the full range of personal injury matters, including premises liability, slip and fall, and dog bite cases. He earned his J.D. from the Texas A&M University School of Law and holds bar admissions in Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Proven Results for Injured Clients

Woron and Dhillon, LLC has recovered millions of dollars for clients across a broad spectrum of personal injury cases, including premises liability and negligent security matters. The firm handles every premises liability case on a contingency fee basis. There are no upfront fees, and you owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf. If you are looking for a personal injury lawyer in Columbia, SC with experience in property injury claims, we invite you to schedule a free consultation.

What Is Important to Understand About a Premises Liability Case?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Premises Liability Cases

An injured visitor may recover several types of damages in a premises liability case, depending on the nature of the hazard, the severity of the injuries, and the property owner’s degree of fault.

Economic damages include medical expenses, both those already incurred and those reasonably anticipated in the future. They also include lost wages, diminished earning capacity, physical therapy and rehabilitation costs, and any out-of-pocket expenses directly tied to the injury.

Non-economic damages compensate for losses that do not carry a receipt: physical pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of daily activities, disfigurement, and the long-term consequences of a permanent disability. In cases where the property owner’s conduct was willful, wanton, or demonstrated a conscious disregard for visitor safety, punitive damages may also be available.

Establishing liability in a premises liability claim requires proof of four elements. The property owner owed you a duty of care based on your classification as a visitor. The owner breached that duty by failing to address a known hazard or by failing to discover a hazard that reasonable inspection would have revealed. That breach directly caused your injury. And you suffered actual damages as a result. South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence law under S.C. Code § 15-38-15 applies to premises liability cases. If you are found to share some percentage of fault for your injury, your compensation is reduced accordingly. If your fault is determined to be 51 percent or greater, you are barred from recovery entirely.

What Are Important Aspects of a Premises Liability Case?

Premises liability claims present particular challenges that distinguish them from other personal injury cases. Several elements deserve focused attention from the outset.

• Notice is often the central issue. The injured party must demonstrate that the property owner either knew about the dangerous condition or that the condition existed long enough that the owner should have discovered it through reasonable inspection
• Evidence deteriorates quickly in premises liability cases. Spills are cleaned, hazards are repaired, and surveillance footage may be overwritten within days or weeks. Prompt action to preserve evidence is critical
• The specific injury sustained influences both the strength of the claim and its value. Fractures, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and soft tissue damage all require different levels of documentation and medical support
• Commercial property owners and their insurers frequently argue that the hazard was open and obvious, placing the burden on the visitor to have seen and avoided it. This defense does not automatically defeat a claim, but it must be addressed with evidence showing the condition was not reasonably avoidable
• Multiple parties may bear liability. A retail tenant, the landlord, a cleaning company, and a maintenance contractor could all share responsibility for the same hazardous condition

What Is the Premises Liability Case Timeline?

The timeline for a premises liability case depends on the complexity of the injuries, the number of parties involved, and how aggressively the property owner’s insurer litigates the claim. A general framework follows.

• Immediate response (days to weeks): The injured party seeks medical treatment, reports the incident to the property owner or manager, and contacts a premises liability attorney in Columbia to begin the claims process. This is also the critical window for preserving evidence
• Investigation (weeks to months): The attorney obtains incident reports, medical records, photographs, surveillance footage, maintenance logs, and any prior complaints about the same or similar hazards on the property
• Demand and negotiation (months): After the injured party reaches maximum medical improvement, the attorney prepares a demand package and submits it to the property owner’s insurer. Settlement negotiations proceed from there
• Litigation (months to over a year): If the insurer refuses a fair settlement, the attorney files a lawsuit. Discovery, depositions, and potentially retained professionals such as safety engineers or medical professionals contribute to building the case for trial
• Resolution: The case concludes through settlement, mediation, or a jury verdict

South Carolina imposes a three-year statute of limitations for premises liability claims under S.C. Code § 15-3-530. The clock begins on the date of the injury. Waiting too long to take action can result in the permanent loss of your right to file a lawsuit.

What Should You Bring to Your Premises Liability Consultation?

Arriving at your initial consultation with documentation of the incident and your injuries allows your attorney to begin building your case immediately. Bring whatever you have from the list below.

• Photographs of the hazardous condition, the location where the injury occurred, and your injuries at various stages of recovery
• Any incident report filed with the property owner, manager, or business
• Medical records and bills from all providers who have treated your injuries
• Names and contact information for anyone who witnessed the incident or the condition that caused it
• Insurance information, including any correspondence you have received from the property owner’s insurer

Your attorney will review the circumstances of your case, explain your rights under South Carolina premises liability law, and give you an honest evaluation of what your claim may be worth. The consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation.

What Are Important South Carolina Legal Resources for Premises Liability Cases?

The following resources offer useful starting points for understanding the South Carolina laws most relevant to premises liability claims. These links are informational and are not a substitute for legal advice from a licensed attorney.

• The South Carolina Legislature publishes Title 15, Chapter 3, which sets the three-year statute of limitations for personal injury actions, including premises liability claims
• The SC Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act governs comparative negligence and fault allocation when multiple parties are responsible for causing the injury
• The CDC fall injury data page provides national statistics on fall-related injuries and fatalities, including data broken down by age group and setting
• The SCDPS Office of Highway Safety maintains the state traffic collision database, which includes data relevant to parking lot and roadway-adjacent premises liability cases
• The NHTSA pedestrian safety page offers data on pedestrian injuries in commercial and public spaces, which intersects with premises liability cases involving parking lots and sidewalks

Reach Out to Woron and Dhillon, LLC to Schedule a Consultation

If you have been injured on someone else’s property in Columbia, SC, the attorneys at Woron and Dhillon, LLC are available to review your case at no cost. We handle premises liability claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront and owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Contact us to schedule a free, confidential case evaluation with a premises liability lawyer in Columbia and take the first step toward understanding your legal options.