The South Carolina Car Accident Checklist
Print it. Fold it. Glovebox it. This is the checklist I hand every client — the four things to do at the scene of a wreck in South Carolina, and the one thing you should never do. If you're reading this from the roadside right now, skip the printing and just call me: (864) 777-1000.
Make a Statement — Carefully
Give the police a factual statement about the wreck, but do not apologize or admit fault. An apology can be treated as an admission and used against you. Insurance companies — including your own — will use any admission to deny responsibility or shift blame onto you.
See a Doctor
Even if you feel fine at the scene, get checked as soon as possible. Injuries like whiplash often don't show up until the next morning — and insurers use any gap in treatment to suggest you're exaggerating.
Photograph Their Documents
Politely ask to photograph the other driver's S.C. Insurance ID card, SCDMV registration, and license — and offer the same. Police reports capture this too, but one mistyped digit in a policy number can delay your claim by weeks.
Document Personal Property Damage
An uncommon tip with real value: photograph damaged personal items — clothing, phone, groceries, car seat. Even in "fender-bender" cases, documented willful conduct by the at-fault driver has moved insurers to pay policy limits on both property damage and bodily injury.
Unsure what to do next? I come to you.
(864) 777-1000 · carolinainjurylawyer.com
Thomas Spiro Conits, Esq. · 100 Williams St, Greenville, SC 29601
What Comes After the Checklist
The checklist covers the first hour. The first week is where cases are commonly won or lost — the adjuster's call, the quick-release offer, the recorded-statement request. Start here:
- What to do after a car accident in Greenville — the full step-by-step, past the scene.
- The adjuster called — what do I say? — exactly how to handle that first phone call.
- Should I accept the first offer? — why it comes fast, and when fast is wrong.
- How I handle car accident cases — what working with me actually looks like.
And if you can't come to an office — because your car is totaled or your back won't let you drive — that's the whole point of this practice: I come to you.