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What Kind of Damages Can Be Recovered in a Dram Shop Liability Case?

You may be able to recover significant damages in a dram shop (liquor-liability) case when a bar, restaurant, or other licensed establishment overserves a visibly intoxicated person who later injures you. Under SC law, businesses have a legal duty not to serve obviously intoxicated patrons. When they fail to do so, you can pursue damages for medical costs, lost earnings, emotional trauma, and even punitive damages.

At Nicholson, Meredith & Anderson, our skilled dram shop liability attorneys in Greenwood, SC, can investigate whether an establishment is liable and build a strong case for full recovery of all your accident-linked damages.

What Damages Are Available in a Greenwood, SC, Dram Shop Claim?

In 2025, South Carolina reformed its dram shop laws, limiting nonparty liability in drunk driving cases. Regardless, injured victims can still seek and recover some compensation from establishments if they can prove dram shop liability.

Compensation depends on the severity of your injuries, the available insurance coverage, and the impact the crash had on your life. You can demand maximum compensation for:

• Medical treatment-related expenses
• Lost earnings and decreased earning ability
• Emotional distress, suffering, and pain
• Long-term rehabilitation
• Permanent impairment or scarring
• Damage to your property
• Punitive damages when the bar’s actions demonstrate a reckless disregard for safety

Unfortunately, dram shop crashes typically cause more severe injuries because the impaired driver may have been speeding, drifting across lanes, or failing to hit the brakes entirely.

Why Are Dram Shop Liability Claims in Greenwood, SC, Different From Ordinary Car Accidents?

These cases involve two layers of negligence, which are the impaired driver’s choices and the business that continued serving them alcohol despite clear warning signs. The bar’s insurance usually holds the financial resources needed to cover catastrophic injuries when the drunk driver’s personal policy is too small. That’s why it’s crucial to investigate alcohol-service practices, staffing decisions, and the timeline leading up to the crash.

What Makes a Bar Liable in a Greenwood, SC, Dram Shop Case?

A bar becomes liable when its employees continue serving a customer who is already showing obvious signs of intoxication. While SC doesn’t require bars to use specific wording, it does require servers to recognize impairment based on ordinary observation. Think slurred speech, difficulty standing, confused behavior, or alcohol-induced aggression. For instance, dram shop liability typically arises in the following situations:

• A bartender continues pouring drinks for a patron who is stumbling or dropping cash.
• A server delivers round after round despite arguments or visible loss of coordination.
• A restaurant ignores a customer’s intoxication because it is a busy weekend or shift change.

Those reckless choices place the public at risk.

Should You Talk to the Bar or Its Insurance Provider?

To protect your claim, it’s strongly recommended to avoid any direct conversation with the business or its insurer. Dram shop carriers employ specialized adjusters who protect the establishment’s exposure. These adjusters may ask questions designed to narrow your claim, shift blame, or downplay the server’s responsibility.

How Can a Dram Shop Liability Attorney in Greenwood, SC, Serve You?

Dram shop cases require speed, strategy, and a clear understanding of alcohol-service regulations. A reputable Greenwood, SC, dram shop liability lawyer will:

• Preserve video and other evidence before they are tampered with or go missing
• Gather receipts and point-of-sale data
• Interview servers and eyewitnesses
• Analyze the customer’s level of impairment
• Work with toxicology experts to establish timing
• Secure bar policies and training records
• Coordinate medical documentation and loss calculations
• Negotiate with insurers who rarely volunteer the truth or win your damage award in court

Learn How Our Dram Shop Liability Lawyers in Greenwood, SC, Can Help You

Call our Greenwood, SC, dram shop liability attorneys at 864-229-7241 or reach Nicholson, Meredith & Anderson online to arrange your no-cost consultation.