First Steps After an Attack at a North Charleston Business
Hotels, bars, stores, lots, apartments: all covered here.
- Get to the ER. Keep every follow-up and counseling visit.
- Call police. Get the report number.
- Write to the manager. Ask them to save video, logs and incident reports.
- Note lighting, broken gates and missing guards.
- Get staff and witness names.
- Sign nothing yet.
Footage can be overwritten fast, and a letter doesn't ensure anything is saved. Nightmares and fear of going out are common afterward. Tell your doctor.
Where It Happens in North Charleston
Depending on the address, North Charleston police or the Charleston, Dorchester or Berkeley County Sheriff's Office may take the report. An attack can happen in a hotel hallway, an apartment breezeway, a parking lot or a store open late. Who owned and ran the property, and what they knew beforehand, shape the questions below.
South Carolina Law on Negligent Security
When an Owner May Be Responsible
South Carolina does not make businesses and property owners automatically responsible for every crime someone else commits on their property. They may be liable when an attack was sufficiently foreseeable and reasonable security measures could have prevented the injury; courts balance how foreseeable the danger was against the burden of protective measures.1 Previous similar crimes are an important factor, but a business may still have a duty to provide reasonable security without them if other circumstances indicate a heightened risk.3
Time to File
Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.2 Simply opening a claim with an insurance company does not stop the statute of limitations from running.4 Lawsuits under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act generally must be filed within two years, and a three-year deadline may apply if a qualifying verified claim was first filed under the Act.5 South Carolina generally limits recovery against government entities under the Tort Claims Act, and claims against a state or local agency could face caps on damages.67
More on negligent security claims in South Carolina.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Talk With Us
People attacked often blame themselves. We don't. Go at whatever pace works. If you hire us, the insurers can usually deal with us.
We take cases across South Carolina, including North Charleston. Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston. Hurt by a broken step or a spill instead? Our North Charleston premises liability page fits better.
South Carolina Law on This
- South Carolina does not make businesses and property owners automatically responsible for every crime someone else commits on their property. They may be liable when an attack was sufficiently foreseeable and reasonable security measures could have prevented the injury; courts balance how foreseeable the danger was against the burden of protective measures.1
- Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.2
- In South Carolina, a business's duty to protect customers from criminal acts by others depends on how foreseeable the danger was and the burden of taking reasonable security precautions. Previous similar crimes are an important factor, but a business may still have a duty to provide reasonable security without them if other circumstances indicate a heightened risk.3
- 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.4
- 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.5
- 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.6
- South Carolina generally limits recovery against government entities under the Tort Claims Act to $300,000 per person and $600,000 total for a single occurrence. The Act does not allow punitive damages or prejudgment interest.7
- A criminal case against an attacker and a civil negligence claim against a property owner are separate. An arrest or conviction does not automatically make the business responsible, and a civil claim may be possible even if the attacker is never identified or convicted. The civil questions include whether the business owed a duty to provide reasonable security, whether it breached that duty and whether the failure contributed to the injury.8
- South Carolina does not impose an automatic duty on landlords to protect tenants from criminal acts by others just because of the landlord-tenant relationship. Depending on the particular circumstances, a landlord or property management company may have a duty to take reasonable measures to address foreseeable criminal dangers in areas under its control, such as parking lots, hallways, entrances and common areas. Whether it may be liable depends on the facts, including its knowledge of risks, its control over the property and the security measures involved.9
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the place need a history of crime?
Not always. Previous similar crimes are an important factor, but a business may still have a duty to provide reasonable security without them if other circumstances indicate a heightened risk.3
Police arrested the attacker. Is the business on the hook now?
A criminal case against an attacker and a civil negligence claim against a property owner are separate. An arrest or conviction does not automatically make the business responsible, and a civil claim may be possible even if the attacker is never identified or convicted.8
It happened in my apartment complex parking lot. Could the landlord be responsible?
South Carolina does not impose an automatic duty on landlords to protect tenants from criminal acts by others. Depending on the particular circumstances, a landlord or property management company may have a duty to take reasonable measures to address foreseeable criminal dangers in areas under its control, such as parking lots, hallways, entrances and common areas.9
Can I sit tight until the criminal trial ends?
Risky. Simply opening a claim with an insurance company does not stop the statute of limitations from running.4 The criminal case won't reliably pause it either. Camera footage won't wait.
Do I have to come downtown to talk?
The first conversation can happen by phone. Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston, south of North Charleston by way of I-26 or Rivers Avenue. If you can't easily get downtown, we're glad to meet you at the hospital, at your house or wherever is convenient.
Sources
- Bass v. Gopal, Inc., 395 S.C. 129, 716 S.E.2d 910 (2011)
- S.C. Code § 15-3-530
- Bass v. Gopal, Inc., 395 S.C. 129, 716 S.E.2d 910 (2011); Lord v. D & J Enterprises, Inc., 407 S.C. 544, 757 S.E.2d 695 (2014)
- S.C. Code §§ 15-3-20 and 15-3-530
- S.C. Code §§ 15-78-80 and 15-78-110
- S.C. Code §§ 15-78-110 and 15-78-120
- S.C. Code § 15-78-120
- Sean Hall, Nov 5, 2026 page review; see Bass v. Gopal, Inc., 395 S.C. 129, 716 S.E.2d 910 (2011)
- Cramer v. Balcor Property Management, Inc., 312 S.C. 440, 441 S.E.2d 317 (1994); compare Bass v. Gopal, Inc., 395 S.C. 129, 716 S.E.2d 910 (2011) (businesses and invitees)
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
