If you're thinking about filing a personal injury lawsuit in South Carolina, it's very important to understand the statute of limitations and how it applies to your potential case. If you miss the filing deadline set by this law, you're almost certain to lose your right to any legal remedy against the person who caused your accident. Read on for the details on this South Carolina rule, and exceptions that could extend the filing deadline.

You Have Three Years to File Most Personal Injury Lawsuits in South Carolina

South Carolina Code of Laws section 15-3-530 gives you three years to ask the state's courts for a civil remedy for any injury you suffer as a result of someone else's action.

So, whether it's based on a car accident, a slip and fall, or any other kind of mishap, if you want to file a personal injury lawsuit of any kind in South Carolina, you need to get the initial paperwork -- including the personal injury complaint -- filed in court within three years. The "clock" starts running on the date of the underlying incident (unless an exception to the standard deadline applies; more on these later). (More: Common Kinds of Personal Injury Claims.)

Why Does This Deadline Matter?

It’s critical that you be aware of South Carolina's three-year deadline as it applies to your potential personal injury lawsuit. With rare exceptions (discussed below), if you miss the deadline, you will no longer have the right to sue the at-fault party and ask the court to award you damages for your injuries and other losses, no matter how badly you were hurt or how egregious the at-fault party's conduct.

Even if there’s a strong possibility that your case will settle outside of court (which is very common with personal injury claims) the threat of a looming lawsuit can be very useful in settlement negotiations. But if you’ve missed the statute of limitations deadline, and the other side knows it, you will have lost all of your bargaining power.

Exceptions to the Standard South Carolina Statute of Limitations