Grand Strand Crash Basics for Visitors
- Wrong-way entries onto the US-17 Bypass and drowsy late-night driving after a long drive into town are recurring causes of head-on crashes involving visitors unfamiliar with local roads.
- Grand Strand Medical Center serves as the area’s Level I trauma center, while crash lawsuits here are usually filed in the Horry County Court of Common Pleas in Conway.
- Tourists who return home can still pursue a claim, since a Grand Strand crash is generally governed by South Carolina law and many cases resolve without another trip back.
- A rideshare driver who is logged in but waiting for a request must carry at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident in primary coverage, plus uninsured motorist coverage.
- Out-of-state witnesses often leave town within days, so collecting their names and phone numbers at the scene can preserve testimony that would otherwise be hard to recover.
Myrtle Beach traffic is unlike anywhere else in South Carolina: millions of visitors a year pour onto Kings Highway (US-17 Business), the US-17 Bypass, US-501, Ocean Boulevard, and SC-31, many of them unfamiliar with the roads. The results show in the numbers. Horry County recorded 47 traffic deaths between January 1 and October 11, 2024, among the five highest totals in the state, according to preliminary South Carolina Department of Public Safety data, and 1,038 people died in motor vehicle crashes statewide in 2024, according to the IIHS analysis of federal crash data.
When another driver’s carelessness hurts you or takes someone you love, a car accident lawyer in Myrtle Beach at Shelly Leeke Law Firm can manage the insurance companies so you can concentrate on recovery. Our Grand Strand office is in Surfside Beach, and we have represented injured South Carolinians since 2007. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no attorney’s fees or case expenses unless we recover compensation for you. To talk through what happened, request a free consultation.
Where Car Accidents Happen in Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach’s crash hotspots follow the tourist corridors:
- Kings Highway (US-17 Business) and the US-17 Bypass
- US-501, including the Carolina Forest Boulevard intersection and the approach into town
- SC-31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) and SC-22 (Conway Bypass)
- Ocean Boulevard, especially on summer evenings
- Robert M. Grissom Parkway and the Harrelson Boulevard / George Bishop Parkway area near Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR)
After a serious crash, victims are typically treated at Grand Strand Medical Center, the area’s Level I trauma center, or at Tidelands Health facilities. Crashes are investigated by the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the Horry County Police Department, or the South Carolina Highway Patrol, and lawsuits are generally filed in the Horry County Court of Common Pleas (Fifteenth Judicial Circuit) in Conway.
Types of Car Accidents We Handle in Myrtle Beach
Visitor traffic, beach-season congestion, and busy highways create a wide range of crashes. These are the cases we see most often.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
South Carolina law requires every driver involved in a crash to stop and remain at the scene (S.C. Code § 56-5-1220). Leaving the scene of an injury crash is a crime, and if someone suffers great bodily injury or dies, it is a felony (S.C. Code § 56-5-1210). Hit-and-run accidents often happen because drivers are uninsured, impaired, or driving on a suspended license. Note the vehicle’s make, model, color, and any part of the plate if you safely can, call 911, and get medical care.
Even if the driver is never identified, your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage can still pay. You must report the crash to police and show the unknown vehicle caused it (S.C. Code § 38-77-170), which is one more reason to involve a lawyer early. That proof can come through any of these:
- Physical contact between the unknown vehicle and you or your vehicle
- A witness who signs an affidavit
- An electronic recording, such as dash cam video
Drunk Driving Accidents
South Carolina’s legal limit is a BAC of 0.08%, and drivers under 21 face penalties at 0.02%. SCDPS enforcement campaigns like Sober or Slammer exist because DUI crashes remain a persistent statewide problem. A DUI prosecution punishes the driver, but your civil claim is a separate case that can reach further.
Under South Carolina’s dram shop law, a bar or restaurant that keeps serving a visibly intoxicated customer who then causes a crash can share liability (S.C. Code § 61-4-580), and Act No. 42 of 2025 added new rules for how that liability is shared and insured. Liability can also extend to an adult who knowingly supplies alcohol to an underage driver (§ 61-4-90). DUI cases also offer the most direct route to punitive damages.
Distracted Driving Accidents
With South Carolina’s hands-free law in force since September 1, 2025, holding a phone behind the wheel is illegal, not just texting (S.C. Code § 56-5-3890, as amended by Act No. 40 of 2025). With Myrtle Beach’s visitor traffic, drivers navigating by phone are a daily hazard. Phone records, witness statements, and vehicle data can prove the at-fault driver was on their phone.
Rear-End Collisions
Stop-and-go traffic on Kings Highway and the Bypass makes rear-end crashes constant. South Carolina drivers must keep a reasonable and prudent following distance (S.C. Code § 56-5-1930), which usually, but not automatically, puts the rear driver at fault. Whiplash, back injuries, and concussions are common even at low speeds, and symptoms often appear days later.
Head-On Collisions
Because a head-on crash combines the speed of both vehicles, it causes deaths far out of proportion to how often it happens. In a tourist town, drivers unfamiliar with the roads are a recurring cause: wrong-way entries onto the Bypass, unsafe passing, and drowsy late-night driving after a long trip in. Injuries are often catastrophic, including head trauma, chest and internal injuries, and leg and hip fractures.
Left-Turn Accidents
Under S.C. Code § 56-5-2320, a driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic close enough to be a hazard, so the turning driver is at fault in most left-turn crashes, though not every one. Busy intersections like US-501 at Carolina Forest Boulevard see these crashes constantly. If the oncoming driver was speeding or ran a red light, fault can shift or be shared, and these crashes are especially deadly for motorcyclists.
Highway and Multi-Vehicle Accidents
At highway speed on SC-31, SC-22, or US-17, a single mistake can pull several vehicles into one crash. When several vehicles pile up, fault gets messy and an insurer may wrongly pin part of the blame on you. To show which vehicle hit which and when, we rely on event data recorder downloads, crash reconstruction, and witness statements. For crashes involving a tractor-trailer, our Myrtle Beach truck accident lawyer team handles the federal safety rules that apply.
Reckless Driving Accidents
South Carolina treats reckless driving, defined as driving in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, as a criminal offense (S.C. Code § 56-5-2920). Racing on Ocean Boulevard, excessive speeding, running red lights, and aggressive weaving are typical examples, but a conviction alone pays you nothing. For your civil claim, proof of willful, wanton, or reckless conduct both establishes negligence and opens the door to punitive damages.
Rental Car Accidents
Few places see more rental cars on the road than Myrtle Beach. In rental car accidents, liability follows the negligent driver, not the rental company. Under the Graves Amendment, a federal law (49 U.S.C. § 30106), rental companies are generally not liable for their customers’ negligence, which means recovery usually comes from the at-fault driver’s personal policy, any supplemental rental coverage they bought, or your own UM/UIM coverage. When a visiting driver in a rental hits you, we work out which of those policies applies and in what order.
Uber, Lyft, and Rideshare Accidents
In a rideshare crash, the key question is what the driver was doing in the app. Under South Carolina’s Transportation Network Company Act (S.C. Code § 58-23-1630), three coverage phases apply:
- If the driver’s app is off, the driver’s personal policy is the only coverage.
- When the app is on and the driver is waiting for a ride request, primary coverage of at least $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, and $50,000 for property damage applies, plus uninsured motorist coverage.
- From the moment a ride is accepted until the passenger exits, at least $1 million in primary liability coverage applies.
Whether you were a passenger, another driver, a bicyclist, or a pedestrian, on Kings Highway, at the MYR airport pickup lanes, or anywhere on the Grand Strand, identifying the correct coverage phase is the first step, and it is often the point insurers dispute.
Parking Lot Accidents
Low speed does not mean low injury. Backing collisions, pedestrian knockdowns, and blind-corner T-bones in busy lots such as Broadway at the Beach, Coastal Grand Mall, and the beachfront public lots cause real injuries, and children on vacation are easy for a reversing driver to miss; our child injury lawyers handle those claims. Police sometimes decline to assign fault in a private lot, so photos, witness information, and lot camera footage carry extra weight. Where hazardous lot design or broken lighting contributed, the property owner may also face a premises liability claim.
Fatal Car Accidents
If a Grand Strand crash takes a life, the family can bring a wrongful death claim under S.C. Code § 15-51-10 through the estate’s personal representative, for the benefit of the surviving spouse, children, or parents. Through a separate survival action, the estate can also recover for the pain and losses your loved one went through before death (§ 15-5-90). The family’s recovery can cover funeral and burial costs, lost financial support, and the loss of your loved one’s care, companionship, and guidance.
Common Injuries in Myrtle Beach Car Crashes
The injuries from a crash drive both your medical care and the value of your claim, and some take days to show up. These are among the injuries we see most often:
- Head injuries, from concussions to traumatic brain injuries that affect memory, mood, and work
- Neck and back injuries, including whiplash, herniated discs, and spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones, especially in the legs, hips, arms, and ribs
- Chest and internal injuries from seat belts, steering wheels, and airbags
- Cuts, burns, and scarring
Because symptoms of head and soft-tissue injuries are often delayed, a prompt medical evaluation creates the record that links your injuries to the crash. See a doctor right away even if you feel fine, because insurers seize on any gap in treatment, and that record carries through to both your care and the value of your claim.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Myrtle Beach Car Accident?
Grand Strand crashes often involve more than one responsible party. Depending on the facts, that can include:
- The negligent driver, the most common defendant
- A bar or restaurant that kept serving a driver who was already visibly intoxicated (dram shop, § 61-4-580)
- An adult who supplied alcohol to a driver under 21 (§ 61-4-90)
- The employer of a driver who was on the job; if you were working when you were hurt, you may also have a workers’ compensation claim
- A rideshare company’s insurer, under the TNC coverage phases
- A manufacturer of the vehicle or a part, such as defective tires, brakes, or airbags, through a product liability claim
- A government entity, such as the City of Myrtle Beach, Horry County, or SCDOT, for dangerous road conditions. The South Carolina Tort Claims Act governs these claims, capping damages at $300,000 per person and $600,000 per occurrence (§ 15-78-120(a)) and generally requiring suit within two years, or three if a verified claim is filed within one year (§ 15-78-110)
South Carolina Insurance Rules That Shape Your Claim
Every South Carolina driver must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, plus $25,000 for property damage (S.C. Code § 38-77-140), and each policy must include uninsured motorist coverage at no less than those amounts (§ 38-77-150). Insurers must offer underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, though buying it is optional (§ 38-77-160). South Carolina is a fault state: the at-fault driver’s insurer pays first, but out-of-state visitors, rental cars, and rideshares each bring their own policies into the picture, and finding every applicable policy is often the difference between a minimum-limits settlement and full recovery.
What if the Insurance Company Blames You?
Myrtle Beach claims are governed by South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence rule (Nelson v. Concrete Supply Co., 303 S.C. 243, 399 S.E.2d 783 (1991)). You can still recover as long as your fault is 50% or less, with the award reduced by your percentage. For example, with $60,000 in damages and 10% of the fault assigned to you, you would recover $54,000. Because every percentage point of fault lowers what an insurer pays, adjusters often try to shift blame onto the injured driver, which is why we gather our own evidence early.
When a crash involves several defendants, S.C. Code § 15-38-15 already limits a defendant less than 50% at fault to paying only its own share, while a defendant at 50% or more can be liable for the full damages. For crashes after January 1, 2026, Act No. 42 of 2025 also lets juries assign fault to parties not named in the lawsuit, which makes identifying every responsible party early more important.
Compensation You Can Pursue
What you can recover after a Myrtle Beach crash depends on your injuries and losses, and may include:
- Medical bills, both current and for the treatment you will need later
- Lost income and reduced earning capacity
- The cost to repair or replace your vehicle, its diminished value, and rental costs while it is in the shop
- Lost employer benefits and the value of household services you can no longer handle
- Non-economic losses: pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium
Punitive damages are uncommon. A court can award them only on clear and convincing evidence of willful, wanton, or reckless conduct (§ 15-32-520), and in most cases the amount is capped (§ 15-32-530). DUI and racing crashes are where punitive damages become realistic, because they are the clearest examples of the willful, wanton, or reckless conduct the law requires.
In practice, the at-fault driver’s policy limits often shape what can actually be collected. A $25,000 minimum-limits policy does not stretch to cover serious injuries. Part of our job is finding every available source of recovery, including the at-fault policy, a dram shop or rideshare policy, your own UM/UIM coverage, and umbrella policies, before you settle for less than your case is worth.
Four Questions to Settle Before Any Myrtle Beach Offer or Trial
We will not recommend accepting an offer on a Grand Strand claim until these questions have answers:
- Does anyone besides the obvious driver share the blame?
- Is the full picture clear? Have doctors fully diagnosed your injuries and estimated your future costs?
- How much has your daily life actually changed?
- Will the effects last for years, or for good?
Accepting money before those answers are in is how injured people end up settling for too little. An adjuster’s timeline is not one you have to follow. You generally have three years from the crash to file a lawsuit, so there is usually room to let your diagnosis and treatment play out before deciding whether an offer is fair.
How Our Firm Handles Your Myrtle Beach Car Accident Claim
Hiring a lawyer moves the paperwork, phone calls, and negotiations off your plate. On a typical case, our work includes:
- Requesting the crash report and preserving evidence such as camera footage, vehicle data, and witness statements before it disappears
- Identifying every liable party and every insurance policy that may apply, including your own UM/UIM coverage
- Gathering medical records and bills, and documenting lost income and future care needs
- Handling all communication with insurance adjusters, so you are not pressured into a recorded statement or an early release
- Negotiating a settlement, and filing suit in the Horry County Court of Common Pleas if the insurer will not make a fair offer
Out-of-state visitors can stay involved by phone and email while we handle the local steps here. A crash on the Grand Strand is generally governed by South Carolina law and handled here, wherever you live, and many cases resolve without you needing to return to Myrtle Beach.
What to Do After a Car Accident in Myrtle Beach
What you do in the days after a Grand Strand crash matters for your health and for your claim:
- Report the crash by calling 911, and get the report number. When no officer investigates a crash that caused injury or $1,000 or more in damage, an FR-309 report must go to the SCDMV within 15 days (S.C. Code § 56-5-1270).
- See a doctor right away, even if you feel fine, because insurers seize on any gap in treatment.
- Photograph vehicles, the scene, and your injuries; collect witness contacts, especially from out-of-state witnesses who leave town within days.
- Decline a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and do not accept a fast settlement.
- Talk to a Myrtle Beach car accident attorney before evidence such as camera footage, vehicle data, and visiting witnesses disappears.
How Long Do You Have to File?
Deadline warning: you generally have three years from a Grand Strand crash to file a lawsuit (S.C. Code § 15-3-530(5)), with limited extensions for minors (§ 15-3-40). A wrongful death claim generally has the same three-year limit. Under the Tort Claims Act, a claim against a government entity usually must be brought within two years, or three if a verified claim is properly filed (§ 15-78-110). Your insurance policy may also set much shorter notice deadlines of its own. For visitors: a crash here is governed by South Carolina law, and your claim can usually be handled here even after you return home.
Shelly M. Leeke: From Insurance Defense to Representing Crash Victims
Car accident claims are won or lost on insurance coverage, and Shelly M. Leeke began her career on the other side of those claims. At Blue Williams she defended insurance companies in automobile and workers’ compensation cases, so she knows how adjusters evaluate injuries, policy limits, and fault arguments. She later moved to plaintiff work at Morris Bart and now serves as managing partner of Shelly Leeke Law Firm.
Her legal training includes a J.D., cum laude, from Tulane University Law School in 2002 and a clerkship at the Louisiana Supreme Court; she also holds a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Government from Wofford College (1999). She is licensed in South Carolina and Louisiana and wrote The South Carolina Accident Book, a guide for people navigating a crash claim. Her recognitions include the 2017 Forty Under 40 list and Super Lawyers Rising Star, and she is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice.
Areas We Serve Along the Grand Strand
We represent car accident victims throughout the Grand Strand and Horry County, including North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Garden City, Murrells Inlet, Socastee, Carolina Forest, and Conway. Injuries outside of car crashes, including dog bites, are covered on our Myrtle Beach personal injury lawyer page.
Hurt in a Crash on the Grand Strand? Reach Our Surfside Beach Office
Whether your crash happened on Kings Highway, US-501, or a resort parking lot, our Grand Strand team can review the police report, your injuries, and the insurance involved. Phone our Surfside Beach office at (843) 428-6934 to discuss your Myrtle Beach car accident claim. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing upfront.
Myrtle Beach Car Accident FAQ
I’m a tourist from out of state. Can I still pursue a claim after I go home?
Yes. A crash here is generally governed by South Carolina law and handled here, wherever you live. We work with out-of-state clients by phone and email, and many cases resolve without you needing to return.
Which hospital should I go to after a crash in Myrtle Beach?
Go to the nearest emergency room. Grand Strand Medical Center is the area’s Level I trauma center. If EMS responds, let them decide. For your claim, the key is getting evaluated promptly and sticking to your treatment plan.
Can I recover if the driver who hit me on the Grand Strand was never identified?
Yes, in most cases. Your uninsured motorist coverage can pay, but you must report the crash to police and prove the unknown vehicle caused it, so contact police promptly and consult a lawyer before giving your insurer a statement.
I was a passenger in an Uber on Kings Highway. Who pays?
Once a ride is underway, at least $1 million in rideshare liability coverage is generally available, in addition to any claim against another at-fault driver. Passengers are seldom at fault, yet insurers often argue about whose policy pays first.
How are attorney’s fees handled in a Myrtle Beach crash case?
Nothing is due upfront. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no attorney’s fees or case expenses unless we recover compensation for you.
