A spinal cord injury from a pickup truck crash can change your life in an instant. One collision on I-26 near the North Charleston interchange, or a broadside wreck on US Highway 17 through the Lowcountry, can leave you paralyzed, unable to work, and facing a lifetime of medical care. If a negligent pickup truck driver caused your injury, South Carolina law gives you the right to pursue compensation. The attorneys at Steinberg Law Firm have been fighting for seriously injured people in the Charleston area for nearly 100 years, and we understand exactly what is at stake when the injury is to your spine.

Table of Contents

• Why Pickup Truck Crashes Cause Severe Spinal Cord Injuries
• Types of Spinal Cord Injuries Seen in Pickup Truck Crashes
• Proving Liability in a Spinal Cord Injury Claim Under South Carolina Law
• Damages Available to Spinal Cord Injury Victims in Charleston, SC
• The South Carolina Filing Deadline for Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuits
• What to Do After a Pickup Truck Crash Causes a Spinal Cord Injury in Charleston
• FAQs About Spinal Cord Injuries from Pickup Truck Accidents in Charleston, SC

Why Pickup Truck Crashes Cause Severe Spinal Cord Injuries

Pickup trucks are among the heaviest consumer vehicles on public roads. A full-size truck like a Ford F-250 or a RAM 2500 can weigh well over 7,000 pounds, and that mass transfers directly into a crash victim’s body at the moment of impact. The force shears, compresses, or fractures vertebrae, and the spinal cord inside those bones takes the damage.

The height difference between a pickup truck and a standard passenger car makes the problem worse. When a pickup truck strikes a smaller vehicle in a T-bone or rear-end collision, the truck’s frame often overrides the car’s safety structures and strikes the occupant at chest or shoulder level. That redirected force travels straight up the spine.

Rollover crashes are another serious risk. Pickup trucks have a higher center of gravity than sedans, which makes them more prone to rolling over in sharp turns or after a tire blowout. During a rollover, the roof can crush inward, and the spinal column bears the full compression load. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 49 CFR Part 571, Section 204 specifically addresses the rearward displacement of steering columns in crashes to reduce chest, neck, and head injuries, but no federal safety standard eliminates spinal cord risk when a heavy truck rolls over onto another vehicle.

Head-on crashes at highway speeds are the most catastrophic scenario. The sudden deceleration creates axial compression forces along the spine that can sever nerve tissue entirely. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center’s 2025 data sheet, the most recent estimate of the annual incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury is approximately 54 cases per one million people in the United States, which equals about 18,421 new cases each year. Motor vehicle crashes remain one of the leading causes of these injuries.

If you were hurt in a crash involving a pickup truck anywhere in the Charleston area, including along the Ashley River Road corridor, the Crosstown Expressway, or the Mark Clark Expressway, a pickup truck accident lawyer at Steinberg Law Firm can review your case at no cost.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries Seen in Pickup Truck Crashes

Spinal cord injuries fall into two broad categories: complete and incomplete. A complete injury means total loss of motor and sensory function below the injury site. An incomplete injury means some function remains. The location of the injury on the spine determines what the survivor loses.

Cervical injuries, which affect the neck region from C1 through C7, are the most severe. Damage at the C1 or C2 level often requires a ventilator to breathe. Injuries lower in the cervical spine may cause quadriplegia, meaning paralysis in all four limbs. Pickup truck crashes that involve roof crush, violent rear-end impacts, or head-on collisions at high speeds frequently produce cervical injuries.

Thoracic injuries affect the mid-back from T1 through T12 and typically result in paraplegia, meaning paralysis of the legs and lower trunk. Victims retain use of their arms and hands but lose function from the chest down. Sideswipe crashes and crashes where a pickup truck runs over a motorcycle or bicycle often produce thoracic-level damage.

Lumbar and sacral injuries affect the lower back and often cause partial leg paralysis, loss of bowel and bladder control, and chronic pain. These injuries may not be immediately obvious at the scene. A person who walks away from a crash near the Ravenel Bridge or the Don Holt Bridge may still have serious lumbar damage that shows up hours or days later on an MRI.

No matter where the injury falls on the spine, the financial consequences are enormous. The average yearly expenses and estimated lifetime costs directly attributable to traumatic spinal cord injury vary greatly based on education, neurological impairment, and pre-injury employment history, and indirect costs such as losses in wages, fringe benefits, and productivity averaged $95,309 per year in 2024 dollars.

Proving Liability in a Spinal Cord Injury Claim Under South Carolina Law

South Carolina personal injury law requires you to prove four elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. In a pickup truck crash case, the duty element is straightforward. Every driver in South Carolina owes a duty of reasonable care to others on the road. The breach occurs when that driver acts negligently, whether through speeding, distracted driving, fatigued driving, or aggressive lane changes on roads like US Highway 278 near Summerville.

Causation connects the driver’s breach to your spinal cord injury. Defense attorneys and insurance adjusters often argue that a pre-existing back condition caused your symptoms, not the crash. Your medical team and, if necessary, independent medical experts can document the difference between a degenerative condition and a traumatic injury caused by sudden force.

South Carolina follows a modified comparative negligence rule under S.C. Code § 15-38-15. South Carolina’s comparative negligence law, Section 15-38-15 of the Code of Laws, states that as long as the plaintiff is less than 51% responsible for a crash, he or she will be eligible for financial recovery from the defendant. This means the defense may try to assign a share of fault to you to reduce what they owe. An attorney’s job is to build the evidence that keeps your share of fault as low as possible.

Liability does not always rest only with the driver. If the truck belonged to a company and the driver was on the job, the employer may be liable under the legal theory of respondeat superior. If a defective part, such as a failed brake system or a defective tire, contributed to the crash, the manufacturer may face a product liability claim under S.C. Code § 15-3-530(4). Multiple parties can be responsible at once, and identifying all of them matters for maximizing your recovery.

Working with a truck accident lawyer from Steinberg Law Firm gives you access to investigators, accident reconstruction analysts, and medical professionals who can build that case from the ground up.

Damages Available to Spinal Cord Injury Victims in Charleston, SC

South Carolina law allows spinal cord injury victims to pursue two categories of damages: economic and non-economic. Economic damages cover losses that carry a specific dollar amount. Non-economic damages cover losses that are real but harder to quantify.

Economic damages in a spinal cord injury case typically include past and future medical bills, rehabilitation costs, home modification costs such as wheelchair ramps and accessible bathrooms, the cost of in-home nursing care, and lost wages from the time of the crash through the date of settlement or trial. Future earning capacity is also recoverable when the injury prevents you from returning to your career. A spinal cord injury that leaves a 35-year-old construction worker paralyzed represents decades of lost income.

Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium for your spouse or family. South Carolina does not cap non-economic damages in most personal injury cases, which means these damages can be substantial in a catastrophic injury claim.

Punitive damages are available in cases where the defendant acted with willful, wanton, or reckless disregard for the safety of others. A drunk driver who causes a spinal cord injury on I-26 near the Summerville exit, for example, may face punitive damages on top of compensatory damages.

All damages in a case handled by an attorney are paid from the settlement proceeds or jury award, not out of your pocket. The attorneys at Steinberg Law Firm work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover for you. Call us at 843-720-2800 to discuss your claim.

The South Carolina Filing Deadline for Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuits

South Carolina law sets a strict deadline for filing personal injury lawsuits. Under S.C. Code § 15-3-530(5), an action for assault, battery, or any injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract and not enumerated by law, must be brought within three years. For most pickup truck crash victims, that three-year clock starts on the date of the crash.

Missing this deadline almost always ends your case. Courts have very little discretion to overlook an expired statute of limitations. The defense will file a motion to dismiss, and the judge will grant it regardless of how strong your underlying claim is.

There are limited exceptions. If the injured person was a minor at the time of the crash, the three-year period does not begin until they turn 18. If the injury was not immediately apparent, the discovery rule under S.C. Code § 15-3-535 may delay the start of the clock. However, spinal cord injuries are almost always apparent at the scene or within hours of the crash, so the discovery rule rarely applies in these cases.

Claims against government entities, such as crashes involving a city or county-owned pickup truck, carry a shorter deadline. Claims against government entities operate under much tighter restrictions, and the South Carolina Tort Claims Act requires injured parties to file a notice of claim with the appropriate government entity within two years of the injury.

Three years sounds like a long time, but building a spinal cord injury case takes months. Medical records must be gathered, experts must be retained, and the full scope of your future medical needs must be documented before any demand is made. Contacting a personal injury lawyer at Steinberg Law Firm as soon as possible after your crash protects your rights and gives your legal team the time it needs to build the strongest possible case.

What to Do After a Pickup Truck Crash Causes a Spinal Cord Injury in Charleston

The steps you take in the days and weeks after a crash directly affect the strength of your legal claim. Spinal cord injury cases are complex, and mistakes made early can cost you later.

First, get emergency medical care immediately and follow every treatment recommendation your doctors make. A gap in treatment gives the defense an argument that your injuries were not serious. If you are treated at MUSC Health or Roper St. Francis Hospital in the Charleston area, keep records of every visit, every diagnosis, and every prescription.

Second, do not speak to any insurance company, including your own, until you have talked with an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to gather statements that reduce the company’s liability. A single offhand comment about how you feel or what you remember from the crash can be used against you.

Third, preserve evidence. If you are physically able, photograph the scene, the vehicles, and any visible injuries. If you cannot do this yourself, ask a family member or friend to do it as soon as possible. Surveillance footage from businesses near the crash site is often overwritten within 30 to 90 days.

Fourth, contact an attorney. Under S.C. Code § 56-5-1230, the driver of any vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury is required to provide their name, address, and registration information and to render reasonable assistance to the injured person. If the truck driver failed to do this, that failure is itself evidence of negligence.

Steinberg Law Firm serves clients throughout the Lowcountry, from the Charleston Peninsula to Goose Creek, Summerville, and Mount Pleasant. Call us at 843-720-2800 for a free consultation. A car accident attorney at our firm is ready to review your case today.

FAQs About Spinal Cord Injuries from Pickup Truck Accidents in Charleston, SC

How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a pickup truck crash caused my spinal cord injury in South Carolina?

Under S.C. Code § 15-3-530(5), you generally have three years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit in South Carolina. If the at-fault vehicle was owned or operated by a government entity, the deadline under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act may be as short as two years, with additional notice requirements. Missing either deadline almost always results in losing your right to pursue compensation entirely, so contacting an attorney as soon as possible after your injury is critical.

Can I still recover damages if I was partially at fault for the crash?

Yes, as long as your share of fault does not reach 51% or more. South Carolina follows a modified comparative negligence rule under S.C. Code § 15-38-15. If a jury finds you 20% at fault and awards $500,000 in damages, your recovery would be reduced to $400,000. However, if your fault is found to be 51% or greater, you recover nothing. This is why it is important to have an attorney gather and present evidence that accurately reflects the other driver’s responsibility for the crash.

Who can be held liable for my spinal cord injury from a pickup truck crash?

Liability depends on the facts of your case. The pickup truck driver is the most obvious defendant, but other parties may also be responsible. If the driver was working at the time of the crash, the employer may be liable. If a defective truck part, such as a faulty brake or a tire that blew out without warning, contributed to the crash, the manufacturer or distributor may face a product liability claim. In some cases, a third-party maintenance company that failed to properly service the truck may also share responsibility. An attorney can investigate all potential sources of liability.

What types of compensation can I pursue for a spinal cord injury caused by a pickup truck driver in Charleston?

You can pursue economic damages, which include past and future medical bills, rehabilitation costs, home modification costs, lost wages, and loss of future earning capacity. You can also pursue non-economic damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases where the driver acted with willful or reckless disregard for safety, such as a drunk or drug-impaired driver, punitive damages may also be available. All damages in an attorney-handled case are paid from the settlement proceeds or jury verdict.

Should I speak to the pickup truck driver’s insurance company before hiring an attorney?

No. You should not speak to any insurance company, including your own, until you have consulted with an attorney. Insurance adjusters are not on your side. Their job is to protect the insurance company’s financial interests, and any statement you make can be used to reduce or deny your claim. This is especially true in spinal cord injury cases, where the damages are high and the insurance company has every incentive to minimize what it pays. Contact Steinberg Law Firm at 843-720-2800 before making any statements to any insurer.