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Fatal car crashes in Charleston County, South Carolina
From 2020 through 2024, 350 people died in 322 crashes on roads in Charleston County, South Carolina.
That is 16.2 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, below the South Carolina rate of 19.9 and above the US rate of 12.1.
US-17 (Hwy 17) had more fatal crashes than any other road here: 50, killing 55.
Bicyclists were 5% of the people killed here, against 2% statewide.
In 2024, 61 people were killed, 16% fewer than in 2020 (73).
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · population: Census 2024 estimate, 431,001 · checked October 2, 2026
people killed in crashes, 2020-2024 (322 crashes)
deaths a year per 100,000 residents (South Carolina 19.9, US 12.1)
pedestrians killed, 26% of all deaths here
of fatal crashes involved a driver police reported as drinking
Where the fatal crashes happened
Each dot is one crash that killed at least one person, placed at the coordinates in the police report.
The deadliest roads in Charleston County
US-17 (Hwy 17) leads with 50 fatal crashes in five years. Roads are counted by the name in the crash report; a highway's frontage roads and ramps count toward it.
| # | Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US-17 Hwy 17 | 50 | 55 |
| 2 | US-52 Rivers Ave | 29 | 32 |
| 3 | I-26 Ramp From Port Access Rd | 23 | 23 |
| 4 | SR-642 Dorchester Rd | 22 | 25 |
| 5 | SR-162 Hwy 162 | 17 | 17 |
| 6 | SR-7 Sam Rittenberg Blvd | 12 | 13 |
| 7 | US-78 E 5Th North Street | 11 | 11 |
| 8 | SR-20 Bohicket Rd | 10 | 10 |
| 9 | SR-61 Ashley River Rd | 9 | 9 |
| 10 | SR-700 Maybank Hwy | 8 | 10 |
Deaths by year
Charleston County ranks 3rd of 46 South Carolina counties by deaths and 37th by death rate (1st = highest), among counties with 10 or more fatal crashes.
When crashes turn deadly
60% of fatal crashes here happened in the dark. The single deadliest hour was 7 pm to 8 pm.
Saturday had the most fatal crashes (63), and 35% fell on a Saturday or Sunday.
By month, August was the worst (32 crashes across the five years).
What was involved
Shares of fatal crashes (or of deaths) in Charleston County, next to South Carolina and the US. Red marks a share at least a quarter higher than the state's.
| Factor | Charleston County | Share | South Carolina | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding was a factor a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions | 125 | 39% | 40% | 28% |
| A driver had been drinking police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver | 99 | 31% | 33% | 26% |
| A large truck was involved a truck over 10,000 lbs | 23 | 7% | 12% | 13% |
| Hit-and-run a driver left the scene | 28 | 9% | 4% | 7% |
| Pedestrians killed share of all deaths | 92 | 26% | 16% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists killed share of all deaths | 61 | 17% | 15% | 15% |
| Bicyclists killed share of all deaths | 17 | 5% | 2% | 3% |
| Teens (15-19) killed share of all deaths | 15 | 4% | 6% | 7% |
After a crash in Charleston County
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Get the crash report
Local police and sheriffs may release their own reports on a written request stating the requester's name, address and intended use (S.C. Code 56-5-1275), but SCDPS says requests for the TR-310 collision report must be made through SCDMV.
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Know your deadline
South Carolina gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit (S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5)). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: Under the Tort Claims Act, filing a verified claim with the State or political subdivision is optional, but if filed it must be received within one year after the loss was or should have been discovered; a lawsuit must be commenced within two years (three years if a claim was first filed).
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Who pays
South Carolina is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
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If you were partly at fault
You can recover if your negligence is not greater than the defendant's (50% or less), reduced by your share; if you are more than 50% at fault you recover nothing (rule set by the state supreme court in Nelson v. Concrete Supply, not a statute).
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The other driver’s minimum coverage
The legal minimum liability coverage in South Carolina is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for South Carolina. Both take under a minute.
Cities in Charleston County
| City | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Charleston | 125 | 19.8 | 35 | 126,005 |
| Charleston | 88 | 11.2 | 33 | 157,665 |
Nearby counties
| County | Distance | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County, South Carolina | 28 mi | 240 | 18.2 | 44 | 264,276 |
| Dorchester County, South Carolina | 33 mi | 123 | 14.1 | 18 | 174,663 |
| Colleton County, South Carolina | 42 mi | 114 | 58.1 | 8 | 39,259 |
| Beaufort County, South Carolina | 53 mi | 116 | 11.5 | 26 | 201,775 |
| Georgetown County, South Carolina | 57 mi | 84 | 25.4 | 9 | 66,035 |
| Williamsburg County, South Carolina | 59 mi | 52 | 34.8 | 9 | 29,865 |
| Clarendon County, South Carolina | 62 mi | 59 | 38.0 | 7 | 31,030 |
| Orangeburg County, South Carolina | 66 mi | 215 | 51.7 | 22 | 83,129 |
About these numbers
FARS counts every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days. It leaves out the far larger number of crashes that only injured people. Places are as coded in the report: a crash on a county road just outside city limits counts for the county, not the city. Rates use the Census 2024 population estimate and the five-year average.