Personal injury claims in South Carolina
This is the South Carolina hub of the Ask Legal Matters injury law guides. It summarizes the rules that apply to every injury claim in the state and links to local guides for 155 South Carolina communities, each with pages on car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death.
South Carolina gives injured people three years to file most personal injury lawsuits (S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530) and a different deadline for medical malpractice (three years). The state follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar): you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. South Carolina is an at-fault auto insurance state with minimum liability limits of 25/50/25. Injury cases are tried in the Circuit Court of the county where the accident happened, and work injuries must be reported to your employer within 90 days.
South Carolina injury law at a glance
- Personal injury deadline
- three years from the injury (S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530)
- Medical malpractice deadline
- three years (discovery-rule exceptions)
- Fault rule
- modified comparative negligence (51% bar)
- Auto insurance
- At-fault
- Minimum auto liability
- 25/50/25
- Trial court
- County Circuit Court
- Workers' compensation
- South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission
- Workers' comp claim deadline
- About two years
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Injured in South Carolina? Click here for a free claim review.
Tell us where and when the accident happened, how you were injured, and whether you received treatment. Your request may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle inquiries in South Carolina. Partner availability and case acceptance depend on the facts of your situation.
Click here for a free claim review — submit accident detailsAsk Legal Matters is a lead-generation service, not a law firm. Submitting a request does not hire an attorney. Review the contact consent and privacy policy on the form before submitting.
South Carolina injury guides by county
Every South Carolina county has its own page covering the county court, the state rules and every community in the county, large or small.
- Abbeville County, SC5 communities
- Aiken County, SC17 communities
- Allendale County, SC5 communities
- Anderson County, SC11 communities
- Bamberg County, SC4 communities
- Barnwell County, SC5 communities
- Beaufort County, SC12 communities
- Berkeley County, SC15 communities
- Calhoun County, SC2 communities
- Charleston County, SC14 communities
- Cherokee County, SC2 communities
- Chester County, SC7 communities
- Chesterfield County, SC8 communities
- Clarendon County, SC8 communities
- Colleton County, SC12 communities
- Darlington County, SC5 communities
- Dillon County, SC7 communities
- Dorchester County, SC8 communities
- Edgefield County, SC3 communities
- Fairfield County, SC5 communities
- Florence County, SC9 communities
- Georgetown County, SC3 communities
- Greenville County, SC13 communities
- Greenwood County, SC5 communities
- Hampton County, SC13 communities
- Horry County, SC11 communities
- Jasper County, SC5 communities
- Kershaw County, SC7 communities
- Lancaster County, SC5 communities
- Laurens County, SC7 communities
- Lee County, SC3 communities
- Lexington County, SC11 communities
- Marion County, SC6 communities
- Marlboro County, SC6 communities
- Mccormick County, SC6 communities
- Newberry County, SC9 communities
- Oconee County, SC11 communities
- Orangeburg County, SC15 communities
- Pickens County, SC8 communities
- Richland County, SC9 communities
- Saluda County, SC3 communities
- Spartanburg County, SC32 communities
- Sumter County, SC7 communities
- Union County, SC5 communities
- Williamsburg County, SC7 communities
- York County, SC10 communities
Largest communities in South Carolina
- Columbia, SCRichland County · pop. 133,803
- Charleston, SCCharleston County · pop. 132,609
- North Charleston, SCCharleston County · pop. 108,304
- Mount Pleasant, SCCharleston County · pop. 81,317
- Rock Hill, SCYork County · pop. 71,548
- Greenville, SCGreenville County · pop. 64,579
- Summerville, SCDorchester County · pop. 48,848
- Goose Creek, SCBerkeley County · pop. 40,633
- Hilton Head Island, SCBeaufort County · pop. 40,512
- Florence, SCFlorence County · pop. 38,228
- Spartanburg, SCSpartanburg County · pop. 37,867
- Myrtle Beach, SCHorry County · pop. 31,035
- Aiken, SCAiken County · pop. 30,604
- Greer, SCGreenville County · pop. 28,365
- Anderson, SCAnderson County · pop. 27,335
- Mauldin, SCGreenville County · pop. 25,135
- North Augusta, SCAiken County · pop. 22,522
- Taylors, SCGreenville County · pop. 21,617
- Conway, SCHorry County · pop. 21,053
- Easley, SCPickens County · pop. 20,765
- Simpsonville, SCGreenville County · pop. 20,736
- Lexington, SCLexington County · pop. 20,138
- Bluffton, SCBeaufort County · pop. 16,728
- West Columbia, SCLexington County · pop. 16,060
More South Carolina city guides: Greenwood, SC, Sumter, SC.
South Carolina cities with the most fatal crashes, 2020-2024
These South Carolina communities recorded the most fatal crashes coded to them in NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System from 2020 through 2024. Each community page ranks its own roads by fatal crashes and breaks down its numbers by year and time of day.
- North Charleston, SC112 fatal crashes · 125 deaths
- Columbia, SC101 fatal crashes · 106 deaths
- Charleston, SC83 fatal crashes · 89 deaths
- Greenville, SC49 fatal crashes · 55 deaths
- Myrtle Beach, SC38 fatal crashes · 45 deaths
- Spartanburg, SC28 fatal crashes · 31 deaths
- Florence, SC23 fatal crashes · 28 deaths
- Rock Hill, SC23 fatal crashes · 28 deaths
- Conway, SC22 fatal crashes · 22 deaths
- Hollywood, SC21 fatal crashes · 22 deaths
South Carolina claims by injury type
- Car Accident claimsHow car accident injury claims work in every state
- Truck Accident claimsHow semi-truck and commercial vehicle injury claims differ from car accidents
- Motorcycle Accident claimsHow motorcycle injury claims work across the United States
- Pedestrian Accident claimsWhat happens legally when a pedestrian is hit by a car in the United States
- Slip and Fall claimsHow premises liability works in the United States
- Workplace Injury claimsHow injured workers get paid in the United States
- Medical Malpractice claimsWhat medical malpractice is, how it is proven, state-by-state deadlines and damage caps, and the kinds of errors that most often lead to successful claims.
- Wrongful Death claimsHow wrongful death and survival actions work across the United States
Read the statute of limitations overview for every state for a side-by-side comparison of filing deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in South Carolina?
Generally three years from the date of injury (S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530). Medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within three years, and claims against government entities require a notice of claim much sooner.
What happens if I was partly at fault in South Carolina?
South Carolina applies modified comparative negligence (51% bar): you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault.
Is South Carolina a no-fault state?
No. South Carolina is an at-fault state; the negligent driver's liability insurance (minimum 25/50/25) is the primary source of compensation.
Where are injury lawsuits filed in South Carolina?
In the Circuit Court of the county where the accident happened or where the defendant resides. Claims against out-of-state companies may be removed to federal court.
How do I find a personal injury lawyer near me in South Carolina?
Choose your county or community below for local information, or click the free claim review button; your request may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle inquiries in South Carolina.
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Ready to share what happened in South Carolina?
Tell us where and when the accident happened, how you were injured, and whether you received treatment. Your request may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle inquiries in South Carolina. Partner availability and case acceptance depend on the facts of your situation.
Click here for a free claim review — submit accident detailsAsk Legal Matters is a lead-generation service, not a law firm. Submitting a request does not hire an attorney. Review the contact consent and privacy policy on the form before submitting.