What to Do After a Burn Injury in the Columbia Area
Treatment comes first. Someone close to you can start saving proof while you are in the burn unit or at home healing.
- Get emergency care. Call 911 for any serious burn. Show up for skin grafts, wound checks and rehab, and keep each discharge sheet.
- Ask for the report. The Columbia-Richland Fire Department, West Columbia or Cayce fire, a police agency or the business itself may have written one. Get a copy and any case number.
- Leave dangerous items to the pros. Don't move a damaged battery, gas appliance or electrical part without advice from a safety professional. If it is safe, keep the item, its packaging and the receipt, and ask a lawyer before it goes back to anyone.
- Photograph before the cleanup crew arrives. Outlets, appliances, scorch marks, smoke stains and any warning label all count.
- Track the healing. Dated photos of the burns over the weeks show the injury and the scarring.
- Keep manuals and boxes. They can name the maker and the seller.
Burns Around the Midlands
Burns around Columbia can come from house and apartment fires, restaurant kitchens downtown and in the Vista, battery fires from scooters and e-bikes near USC, propane and gas accidents at lake houses, and electrical work on construction sites. Summer heat in Columbia also means hot pavement and hot equipment. Prisma Health Richland, MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown and Lexington Medical Center are among the hospitals that see injured people from the area.
Time Limits for a Burn Claim
Most South Carolina injury claims must be filed within three years.1 That time counts toward a lawsuit in court, and an open insurance claim will not pause it.2 A claim against a city, county or state body generally must be filed within two years, though a qualifying verified claim may stretch it to three years.4 Caps and extra rules may apply to those claims.3
If a fire traces back to wiring, gas lines or building work, the timing may be tighter. Claims against builders, contractors and designers over real property work can be cut off by a fixed outer limit, whenever the problem comes to light.5 The statewide burn injury page has more.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Talk With Us
A bad burn affects work, sleep and family life for a long time. Tell us about the fire and the long road of wound care since.
Our office is on King Street in Charleston. We take cases across South Carolina, including Columbia, Lexington County and the rest of the Midlands. The first conversation can happen by phone. If a product caught fire, see Columbia product liability claims.
Call and tell us what you saved from the scene.
South Carolina Law on This
- Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.1
- South Carolina's statute of limitations generally sets the deadline for filing a lawsuit in court. Simply opening a claim with an insurance company or negotiating with an insurance adjuster does not stop the statute of limitations from running.2
- Claims against a South Carolina state or local government agency have their own filing deadline, which can be shorter, and there could be caps on damages under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, depending on the facts of the case.3
- Lawsuits under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act generally must be filed within two years after the loss was or should have been discovered. A three-year deadline may apply if a qualifying verified claim was first filed under the Act.4
- Claims against builders, contractors and designers over work on real property can be cut off by a fixed outer time limit that applies no matter when the problem is discovered.5
- Most injuries that happen on the job in South Carolina go through the workers' compensation system, which has its own rules, and usually limits suing your own employer.6
- An injured worker in South Carolina generally must tell the employer about a work accident right away, and no later than 90 days after it, to receive workers' compensation, unless an exception applies.7
- A South Carolina workers' compensation claim generally must be filed with the Workers' Compensation Commission within two years after the accident, or after a death it caused. Telling the employer does not count as filing. Occupational diseases and repetitive trauma follow different rules.8
- In South Carolina, an employee injured at work may be able to receive workers' compensation benefits and also pursue a personal injury claim against a responsible third party, such as another driver. The workers' compensation insurer may have a right to reimbursement from any settlement or judgment. Special rules and deadlines apply when pursuing both claims.9
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I hang on to the charger, battery or appliance that started the fire?
If it is safe, yes. A scorched battery, wire or gas unit can flare up again, so get guidance from the fire department or another safety professional before anyone touches it. When it is safe, store it with the cord, box and receipt, and talk to a lawyer before giving it to the maker or an insurer or throwing it away.
I was burned on the job, in a commercial kitchen. What happens now?
Burns at work in South Carolina generally go through workers' compensation.6 The employer generally needs to hear about it within 90 days, and a claim generally must be filed within two years, with exceptions.78 If an outside company, such as the fryer's maker or a gas contractor, contributed, a separate injury claim may be possible.9
The wiring in the house went in years ago. Is it too late?
It might be, and only the facts will tell. Claims against builders, contractors and designers over work on real property can be cut off by a fixed outer limit, no matter when the problem is found.5 That's a good reason to speak with a lawyer soon after the fire.
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
