South Carolina Car Accident Settlement Calculator

South Carolina uses a 51% fault threshold for car accident claims. You can recover compensation as long as you are no more than 50% at fault — even in a perfectly even 50/50 split, you still receive half your damages. This is more permissive than states using a 50% bar, where equal fault results in zero recovery.

South Carolina gives you 3 years from the date of the incident to file a lawsuit, which is in line with the national average of 2.7 years. This is a standard timeframe, but acting sooner preserves evidence and strengthens your position. South Carolina applies a discovery rule, meaning the clock may start when you discover (or should have discovered) the injury rather than when the incident occurred.

South Carolina’s mandatory minimum auto insurance is 25/50/25 (bodily injury per person / per accident / property damage). These are relatively low minimums. Medical costs from even a moderate car accident frequently exceed $25K, which means you may need to pursue additional recovery options if the at-fault driver carries only the minimum. South Carolina requires uninsured motorist (UM) coverage but not underinsured motorist coverage. Adding UIM coverage to your own policy is recommended.