Bar tears out bike track after liquor liability insurance triples
By Peyton Furtado
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TRAVELERS REST, South Carolina (WYFF) — A Greenville County bike shop and bar had to rip out its track after liquor liability insurance tripled. It’s an unintended consequence of a South Carolina law that’s hit small businesses around the state hard.
Before December, families would gather at the Piney Mountain Bike Lounge pump track for fun, free of charge.
“We’re just kind of losing a part of what Piney is. Part of our identity,” said General Manager Tad Nielsen.
Now, it’s a flat patch of dirt thanks to an increase in the lounge’s liquor liability insurance. It went from $10,000 to $30,000.
“We were able to save about 10,000 dollars by not having it anymore,” said the owner, Jackie Batson. “And it was a really difficult decision.”
It all goes back to 2014 and a deadly DUI crash in South Carolina.
The suspect and the bars she went to that night didn’t have insurance. In response, SC Bill 116 required any place serving alcohol to have at least $1 million in coverage.
We’ve spoken to bars across the Upstate that have either had to pay dramatically increased premiums or have gone out of business altogether.
“They’re just trying to get by,” said Batson. “So having something extra like this, it just feels like our state is not supporting family-owned, small businesses anymore.”
Now not quite as family-oriented, the Piney Mountain Bike Lounge still has its bar and bike shop. But the track that provided fun for so many kids will be turned into a picnic area.
Batson said, “We’ll just have to see if we can afford to pay for the liability insurance for another year, even without the pump track.”
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