What to Do After a Golf Cart Crash in Greenville County
Treatment comes first. A relative or neighbor can take over the report, pictures and insurance calls while you are in the hospital.
- Call 911 for injuries. Then follow through on each surgery, therapy session and doctor visit, and save the records.
- Ask about a report. Find out whether the Sheriff's Office, a town police department or the Highway Patrol is writing one and how to get a copy.
- Swap information. The cart driver's name and license details, the cart's owner and any insurance. Do the same with the driver of any car involved.
- Note whose cart it was. If it was a rental or belonged to a club or community, write down the name painted or stickered on it.
- Pictures. The injuries matter most; after that, the cart's damage, any car, the cul-de-sac or path, stop signs and streetlights.
- Get witnesses. Names and numbers of people who saw it.
Where Carts Show Up Around Greenville
Golf carts turn up in newer subdivisions around Five Forks and Simpsonville, in neighborhoods near downtown Travelers Rest, at lake communities and on golf course roads. Trouble often starts where a cart path meets a street with faster traffic.
South Carolina's Golf Cart Rules
On public roads, state law sets these baseline rules:
- Cart: registered with the DMV, with a valid permit decal and liability insurance.
- Driver: at least 16, with a valid driver's license, carrying the license, registration and proof of insurance.1
- Roads: generally only roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less, though a cart may cross a faster road at an intersection.
- Time and distance: unless a local ordinance or another exception applies, secondary roads during daylight hours and within four miles of the registered address.2
Breaking one of these rules may be relevant to who is responsible, but it doesn't automatically make someone legally at fault, and different rules may apply on private property.3
Want someone to look at your situation?
Talk with our team about what happened and ask the questions on your mind.
How Long You Have to File
Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.4 The limit is for a lawsuit, and working with an adjuster doesn't stop it.5
Lawsuits under the Tort Claims Act generally must be filed within two years, or three years after a qualifying verified claim.6 Government claims can also face damage caps, depending on the facts.7
Read more on our statewide golf cart page. If a car hit the cart, see car wrecks in Greenville.
Talk With Us
Golf cart crashes often involve neighbors, friends or a fun afternoon gone wrong, which can make a claim feel awkward. We keep those relationships in mind.
Our office is on King Street in downtown Charleston. The first conversation can happen by phone. We take cases across South Carolina, including Greenville and the Upstate.
Give us a call about the ride through the neighborhood, the driver and any car that hit the cart.
South Carolina Law on This
- To drive a golf cart on public roads in South Carolina, the golf cart must be registered with the DMV, have a valid permit decal, and be covered by liability insurance. The driver must be at least 16 years old, hold a valid driver's license, and carry their license, golf cart registration certificate, and proof of insurance while driving.1
- South Carolina generally limits permitted golf carts on public roads to those with speed limits of 35 mph or less, although carts may cross faster roads at intersections. Unless a local ordinance or another statutory exception applies, golf carts may be operated only on secondary roads during daylight hours and within four miles of their registered address. Special rules apply to gated communities and certain events.2
- A violation of a golf cart safety rule may be relevant to determining responsibility for an accident, but it does not automatically establish who is legally at fault. Different rules may apply to golf carts operated on private property.3
- Most personal injury claims in South Carolina must be filed within three years.4
- South Carolina's statute of limitations generally sets the deadline for filing a lawsuit in court. Simply opening a claim with an insurance company or negotiating with an insurance adjuster does not stop the statute of limitations from running.5
- Lawsuits under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act generally must be filed within two years after the loss was or should have been discovered. A three-year deadline may apply if a qualifying verified claim was first filed under the Act.6
- Claims against a South Carolina state or local government agency have their own filing deadline, which can be shorter, and there could be caps on damages under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, depending on the facts of the case.7
- Golf cart passengers under 12 generally must wear seat belts on public roads in South Carolina, with a specific exception for golf courses.8
Frequently Asked Questions
Whose insurance covers a golf cart wreck?
It depends. Coverage might come from a policy on the cart, an auto policy, a rental company or something else, and the policy wording controls. A homeowner's or auto policy may or may not reach a cart, so read the fine print before counting on it.
The cart was borrowed from a neighbor in our subdivision. Does that change anything?
Questions about who was driving, who owned the cart and how it was maintained can all come up. Write down who owned it, who was driving and who said it was okay to take it out.
Should police come out for a golf cart crash?
If anyone is hurt, call 911. The deputy or officer can tell you if a written report is coming and where to request it. Whether a report is required can depend on where the crash happened.
Do children riding on a golf cart need seat belts?
Golf cart passengers under 12 generally must wear seat belts on public roads in South Carolina, with a specific exception for golf courses.8
Sources
This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts.
