What to Do After a Burn Injury in Summerville
Treatment comes first, whether that means a hospital stay or months of wound care. A relative or neighbor can start collecting evidence while you heal.
- Call 911 for any serious burn. Then keep every surgery, dressing change and therapy visit, and save the paperwork.
- Ask for the fire or incident report. Summerville Fire & Rescue, a county fire department or the business where it happened may have one, along with a case number.
- Leave dangerous items to the professionals. Swollen lithium batteries, leaking fuel and damaged wiring can flare up again. Ask the fire department how to handle them.
- Photograph the room before cleanup. Scorched outlets, the appliance, smoke patterns and any warning label are all worth a picture.
- Photograph the burns over time. Dated photos show healing, grafts and scarring.
- Hang on to boxes, manuals and receipts. They can show who made and sold the product.
Fires and Burns Around Summerville
Burns around Summerville come from house fires in older homes near downtown and brand-new houses out toward Ridgeville alike, from e-bike and scooter batteries charging in a garage, from vehicle fires after a crash on I-26, and from hot kitchens, welding and equipment at work. Summer heat adds the risk of a grill or generator mishap during an outage.
How Long You Have
In South Carolina, most injury lawsuits have to be on file within three years.1 Talking with an adjuster does not pause it, because the limit is for a lawsuit.2 If a town, county or state entity is responsible, the usual Tort Claims Act limit is two years, and a qualifying verified claim may push it to three years.4 Special rules and damage caps may also apply.3
If a fire traces to wiring, a gas line or building work, time may be shorter than you think. Claims against builders, contractors and designers over work on real property can be barred by a fixed outer limit, no matter when the defect comes to light.5 South Carolina generally sets that cutoff at eight years from substantial completion of the work, with some exceptions.6 A lawyer can tell you how the timing works in your situation.
For the statewide overview, see South Carolina burn injury claims.
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
Talk With Us
Serious burns can reshape months or years of daily life. Our first job is to hear the story of that day and what your recovery involves.
Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston. We take cases across South Carolina, including Summerville. If a product caught fire, read about defective product claims around Summerville.
We are glad to talk about the fire, the product or the job site involved.
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
- South Carolina generally imposes an eight-year outer deadline on lawsuits arising from defective or unsafe improvements to real property, measured from substantial completion of the improvement. Exceptions may apply. This deadline is separate from the ordinary statute of limitations and may prevent some claims even when the problem was discovered later.6
- 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.7
- 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.8
- 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.9
- 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.10
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a way to talk without driving into Charleston?
Yes. The first conversation can happen by phone. Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston.
Should I hold on to the charger, e-bike battery or appliance that caught fire?
If it is safe, yes. Damaged batteries can reignite, so don't touch or move a scorched battery, gas appliance or electrical device until the fire department or another safety professional says it is safe. Keep the cord, charger, box and receipt too. Talk with a lawyer before giving the item to the manufacturer or an insurer, or tossing it.
I was burned on the job. What happens next?
Most work burns in South Carolina go through workers' compensation, which usually limits suing your employer.7 You generally must report the injury within 90 days and file within two years, though there are exceptions.89 If an outside company, such as the maker of a fryer or a subcontractor, helped cause it, a separate injury claim may also be possible.10
The wiring in my house went in years ago. Is it too late to do anything?
Possibly; the answer depends on the dates and who did the work. Claims against builders, contractors and designers over work on a home or building can be cut off by a fixed outer limit, however late the problem shows up.5 So waiting on a wiring question carries real risk.
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
