Car Accident Lawyer

Injured in a Car Accident in North Myrtle Beach or the Grand Strand?

A motor vehicle collision can create problems that extend far beyond the damage to a vehicle. Injured drivers and passengers may suddenly face medical treatment, missed work, repair or replacement costs, rental-car expenses, insurance questions, and uncertainty about what should happen next.

Stevens Law Firm, P.C. represents people injured in automobile accidents throughout North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Little River, Conway, Horry County, and surrounding South Carolina communities.

Our firm helps clients investigate what happened, preserve important evidence, identify available insurance coverage, evaluate damages, and pursue compensation when another person or company is legally responsible.

What Should I Do After a South Carolina Car Accident?

What happens immediately after a collision can affect both your health and any later insurance or legal claim. For a complete step-by-step guide, please review our After a Car Accident Checklist.

When reasonably possible:

• Seek appropriate medical care.
• Report the collision to law enforcement.
• Photograph the vehicles and surrounding roadway.
• Photograph traffic lights, signs, lane markings, debris, and visible injuries.
• Obtain names and contact information for witnesses.
• Exchange insurance and identifying information.
• Preserve dash-camera or cellphone video.
• Keep towing, rental-car, repair, and medical records.
• Avoid signing a release before understanding what rights may be affected.

South Carolina collision reports can be requested through the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. For guidance on local care centers and retrieving crash records, view our guide on Hospitals & Accident Reports.

Who Is Responsible for a Car Accident?

Determining fault may require much more than reading the police report. Evidence can include:

• Statements from drivers and witnesses
• Photographs and video
• Vehicle damage
• Skid marks and debris
• Traffic-signal information
• Dash-camera footage
• Surveillance video
• Cellphone records where appropriate
• Vehicle event-data information
• Accident reconstruction
• Roadway design and conditions

Common causes of motor vehicle collisions include failure to yield, following too closely, unsafe lane changes, speeding, distracted driving, driving under the influence, failure to obey traffic signals, improper turns, and driving too fast for road or weather conditions. In more complicated cases, liability may involve more than one driver or party.

What If I Was Partly at Fault?

Being partially responsible for a collision does not necessarily prevent recovery in South Carolina. South Carolina follows a modified comparative-negligence system. State law provides that contributory negligence does not bar recovery in a motor-vehicle action when the injured person’s negligence is equal to or less than the negligence required to establish liability against the other party. South Carolina courts have likewise explained that a plaintiff may recover when the plaintiff’s negligence is not greater than the defendant’s, although any award may be reduced according to the plaintiff’s percentage of fault.

For example, if an injured person is found 20% responsible for a collision, an otherwise recoverable award may generally be reduced to reflect that percentage of fault. For more details on how these rules apply, read our explanation of SC 51% Comparative Fault Law.

What Compensation May Be Available After a Car Accident?

The damages available in a particular case depend on the injuries, losses, insurance coverage, evidence, and circumstances. A claim may involve compensation for losses such as:

• Emergency medical treatment and hospital bills
• Physician, specialist care, and physical therapy
• Prescription expenses and future medical needs
• Lost wages and reduced earning ability
• Vehicle damage and rental-car expenses
• Pain and suffering, mental distress, and loss of enjoyment of life
• Other economic and noneconomic losses

South Carolina statutes recognize personal-injury damages that can include bodily injury, mental distress or suffering, loss of wages, loss of services, and other economic and noneconomic damages. The value of a claim is highly fact-specific. There is no reliable formula based simply on the amount of medical bills. For detailed info on medical claims, see Medical Bills After an Accident.

How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in South Carolina?

South Carolina generally applies a three-year limitations period to many personal-injury actions, although different deadlines and special rules may apply depending on the facts and the identity of the defendant. Waiting until the limitations period is nearly over can create practical problems even when a lawsuit is technically still timely. Evidence like surveillance footage, vehicle data, and memories can disappear much earlier. Claims involving governmental entities can involve different procedural requirements and should be evaluated promptly.

What Happens if the Other Driver Has No Insurance?

South Carolina automobile insurance law includes uninsured-motorist coverage requirements, and underinsured-motorist coverage may also be available depending on the policy involved.

Uninsured motorist coverage (UM) may become important when the responsible driver has no applicable liability insurance or in certain hit-and-run circumstances. Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) may become important when the responsible driver's liability limits are not enough to compensate for the losses caused by the collision. These claims can involve your own insurer, but that does not necessarily mean the process is simple. Policy language, available limits, multiple vehicles, household coverage, and other insurance issues may affect the claim.

What If the At-Fault Driver Left the Scene?

Hit-and-run accidents present additional problems because the identity of the driver may be unknown. South Carolina law contains specific conditions affecting recovery under uninsured-motorist coverage when the owner or operator of the vehicle causing injury is unknown. After a hit-and-run collision, prompt investigation is critical to preserve vehicle descriptions, license plate info, and nearby surveillance footage.

Should I Give the Insurance Adjuster a Recorded Statement?

Insurance companies frequently request recorded statements after collisions. Before agreeing, it is reasonable to understand which insurance company is requesting it, what your policy requires, and how it could be used. A person recovering from an accident may not yet know the full extent of their injuries. While you must be truthful, you do not have to guess about facts you do not know.

Should I Sign a Medical Authorization?

Insurance companies may request broad medical authorizations that permit access to records well beyond the treatment related to the collision. Before signing one, understand what records, time periods, and providers are included. The scope of disclosure should be understood before signing.

What If My Injuries Did Not Appear Immediately?

Not every injury is obvious at the scene of a collision. Symptoms involving the neck, back, head, joints, or soft tissues may develop or become more noticeable after the initial event. Consistent, accurate medical documentation is important to preserve your claim.

Common Injuries After Automobile Accidents

Motor vehicle collisions can cause a wide range of injuries, including neck and back injuries, herniated or bulging discs, shoulder and knee injuries, fractures, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, nerve damage, and scarring. Severe crashes can result in permanent impairment or wrongful death claims. The seriousness of an injury is not always apparent from photographs of the vehicle.

What If I Was a Passenger?

Passengers injured in a collision may have claims even when they were not responsible for the crash. Depending on the facts, available insurance may involve the driver of the vehicle in which the passenger was riding, another driver, an employer, or UM/UIM coverage.

What If I Was Injured While Visiting Myrtle Beach?

The Grand Strand receives millions of visitors, and many collisions involve people who live outside South Carolina. A visitor injured in the Myrtle Beach area may return home for medical treatment while the claim remains governed in whole or in part by South Carolina law. Potential issues include coordinating treatment in another state and navigating South Carolina filing deadlines. You do not have to remain in South Carolina to pursue a local claim.

Accidents Involving Rental Cars

Myrtle Beach-area collisions often involve rental vehicles. Rental-car claims can raise complex questions concerning the driver's personal automobile policy, rental-company coverages, credit-card benefits, and collision-damage waivers. Do not assume the coverage listed at the rental counter is the only insurance that may apply.

Accidents Involving Rideshare Vehicles

A collision involving an Uber or Lyft driver may involve different levels of commercial insurance depending on whether the driver was offline, logged in, accepting a request, or actively transporting a passenger. Always preserve screenshots, receipts, and trip logs.

When Should an Attorney Investigate a Car Accident?

Early investigation is important for serious injuries, commercial vehicles, disputed fault, hit-and-run claims, or cases involving governmental vehicles. The more serious the accident, the more likely it is that evidence outside the ordinary police report will matter.

How Stevens Law Firm, P.C. Can Help After a Car Accident

Stevens Law Firm, P.C. assists with the legal and insurance issues that arise after a South Carolina automobile collision. Our work may include investigating responsibility, identifying all available insurance policies, communicating with adjusters, and negotiating lien reductions. Beyond car crashes, we also represent clients in truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and insurance bad faith disputes.

Frequently Asked Questions