Cayce City Council unanimously adopted a Vision Zero resolution in July, committing the city to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on non-interstate roads by 2036. The policy supports a federally funded road safety plan that is still in development. The resolution cites 3,551 crashes in Cayce from 2019 through 2023, including 14 fatal crashes and 831 injury crashes. Pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in less than 1 percent of all crashes but accounted for roughly 36 percent of the fatal ones, highlighting their heightened vulnerability on city streets.
While the long-term goal is ambitious, residents injured in crashes before infrastructure changes take effect still face immediate financial and legal pressures. Local law firm Woron and Dhillon, LLC is reminding the public that medical bills, insurance calls, and filing deadlines do not wait for safety plans to be implemented. A personal injury lawyer in Cayce, SC can explain how claims work and who may be held responsible.
Victims should take specific steps after a crash. Under S.C. Code § 56-5-1260, a driver involved in an injury crash must notify police immediately. Photographs of crosswalks, signals, and lighting can become critical evidence if road conditions are disputed. South Carolina follows a modified comparative fault rule: an injured person can recover damages if their fault does not exceed the defendants' combined fault, but any award is reduced by their share. Most injury claims must be filed within three years under S.C. Code § 15-3-530, while claims against a government entity generally carry a two-year deadline under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act.
The city's early planning targeted four intersections, including Knox Abbott Drive at 12th Street, according to The Post and Courier. When a roadway condition contributes to a crash, a city, county, or state agency may share responsibility with a driver. Those claims follow the Tort Claims Act and its damage limits. "Safety plans take years to reach the pavement. People injured in the meantime still need answers about who is responsible," said Brett Woron, an attorney with Woron and Dhillon, LLC. "We look at the driver's conduct first, then at whether signals, crosswalks, or lighting contributed to the crash."
Woron and Dhillon, LLC is a personal injury firm serving clients across South Carolina from offices in Columbia, Charleston, and North Augusta. In Cayce, the firm handles car accident, slip and fall, and rideshare accident claims, among other personal injury matters. Consultations can be requested online.
