Many drivers buy more car insurance than South Carolina requires. If you have more liability insurance and cause an accident, your policy may cover the other person’s damages. If you have more liability insurance and are injured in an accident, your coverage won’t matter. There’s more coverage you can get that helps you if you’re the victim, especially if the at-fault driver is uninsured.
Having more or less liability insurance doesn’t affect your recovery since South Carolina is an at-fault state. Having uninsured or underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage helps if the at-fault driver is uninsured. If the at-fault driver only has the legal minimum and your injuries cost more, you may file a lawsuit. However, UM/UIM may cover additional damages, so you don’t have to sue. You can also add comprehensive or medical payments to your car insurance to cover property damage due to vandalism or injuries, no matter who is at fault.
Get a free case review from Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers by calling our South Carolina car accident attorneys at (803) 451-4000.
Should You Buy More Car Insurance Than the Minimum in South Carolina?
South Carolina makes all drivers carry liability insurance. This covers injuries drivers cause during accidents, not those they sustain. Having more car insurance than the legal minimum won’t help if you get hurt. That said, having more car insurance can give you peace of mind in case you ever cause a crash, so you can certainly purchase it.
Drivers need at least $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 for property damage per accident. You can buy more just in case you cause an accident.
South Carolina is a fault state for car accidents. Victims first file claims with at-fault drivers’ liability insurance, not their own. Whether or not the at-fault driver has more car insurance than the legal minimum might impact your case and if you file a lawsuit.
Should You Buy UM/UIM Insurance in South Carolina?
South Carolina also requires uninsured motorist coverage. It doesn’t mandate underinsured motorist coverage, but you can get that, too.
Minimum amounts for uninsured motorist coverage are the same as liability insurance. It helps cover your injuries and property damage if the at-fault party is uninsured or flees the scene and certain conditions are met.
If you buy more liability insurance, you can also get more uninsured motorist coverage to match. Uninsured motorist policy limits can’t exceed your liability policy limits in South Carolina.
If the at-fault driver has liability insurance but it’s not enough to cover your damages, underinsured motorist coverage applies.
Buying UM/UIM insurance gives you a path to recovery if you don’t know who hit you or if they don’t have insurance.
Even if you have UM/UIM, you don’t have to rely on it after a hit and run. Our lawyers can help track down negligent drivers who flee and hold them accountable.
What Other Coverage Can I Add to My Car Insurance in South Carolina?
While you can buy more liability insurance, you can also get more coverage that helps you and your passengers after accidents.
For example, you can get collision coverage. It’s not mandatory, but it covers damage to your car after a crash with another object, like a tree, median, telephone pole, or another vehicle.
Drivers can also add on comprehensive coverage, which pays for damage to their cars from other causes, like floods, theft, or vandalism.
You can also add medical payments coverage to your car insurance. This helps cover your injuries after an accident, no matter who is at fault. It also helps pay your passengers’ damages.
What if You Don’t Buy the Legal Minimum for Car Insurance in South Carolina?
Not having the minimum car insurance in South Carolina leads to fines and possible license suspension. Still, it won’t stop you from getting compensation.
South Carolina doesn’t have “no pay, no play” rules that block uninsured drivers from recovering damages. You can still file a lawsuit, so don’t let the at-fault driver convince you otherwise.
Also, don’t let your lack of insurance stop you from calling 911. Fines don’t compare to victims’ medical bills and lost wages after accidents.
The police can get the at-fault driver’s name and insurance information. They can put other relevant details in the crash report, which we can help you get and review in the following days.
Get the legal minimum liability insurance as soon as possible to avoid future consequences.
Do Most Drivers Buy More Car Insurance Than the Minimum in South Carolina?
Buying more car insurance than the legal minimum can help drivers avoid lawsuits after accidents. If their policy limits are higher, victims might get larger insurance settlements.
Because South Carolina is a fault state, an at-fault driver’s liability insurance pays a victim’s damages first. Many injuries cost more than $25,000 to treat, and a totaled car might cost more than $25,000 to replace.
Even slight policy increases better compensate victims after accidents, so many drivers buy more insurance.
What if the At-Fault Driver Only Has the Legal Minimum for Car Insurance?
Your damages may quickly exceed minimum liability insurance policy limits. If that’s all the at-fault driver has, our Columbia, SC car accident attorneys can help you file a lawsuit.
We’ll have three years to file the lawsuit, according to S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530. During that time, we’ll get evidence and prepare the case.
Evidence in car accident lawsuits includes photos, eyewitness testimony, expert witness statements, videos, and victims’ medical records.
We’ll also calculate your damages. The lawsuit should cover all medical expenses, current and future. Your physicians can testify about upcoming treatments, and medical bills can show losses to date.
Victims can sue for lost wages as well. Experts can determine reduced earning capacity, helping us calculate long-term lost wages.
We’ll also seek “non-economic damages” in the lawsuit. Burns, broken bones, internal injuries, and disfiguring lacerations are all physically painful. They also have mental and emotional implications, sometimes causing life-altering depression and anxiety.
South Carolina doesn’t cap economic or non-economic damages in car accident lawsuits. This benefits victims, who can seek relief for all damages they incur, no matter how great.
Call Us About Your Car Crash in South Carolina Today
Call Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers at (803) 451-4000 for a free case assessment from Rock Hill, SC car accident attorneys.
