The Charleston-North Charleston metro area has been ranked 12th in the nation for pedestrian fatalities, according to Smart Growth America's Dangerous by Design 2026 report. The study counted 154 pedestrian deaths in the region from 2020 through 2024, a rate of 3.69 per 100,000 residents, as Charleston City Paper reported. This ranking underscores a persistent public safety challenge in a rapidly growing region and carries significant implications for residents, policymakers, and the legal system.
South Carolina ranked fourth among states for pedestrian fatalities. Statewide, 123 pedestrians had been killed as of Oct. 6 this year, compared with 129 at the same point in 2025, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The slight decrease does little to diminish the scale of the problem, and the Charleston metro's high ranking signals that road design and driver behavior remain critical concerns.
In response, Charleston is using a federal grant to study high-priority intersections from Johns Island to the upper peninsula, ABC News 4 reported. The initiative aims to identify and mitigate risks at dangerous crossings, but infrastructure changes take time. Meanwhile, injured pedestrians face immediate legal and financial questions.
Woron and Dhillon, LLC is encouraging residents to understand their rights after a crash and to meet with a pedestrian accident lawyer in Charleston, SC if they've been injured to discuss what compensation may be available. The firm notes that drivers must exercise due care to avoid hitting a pedestrian under S.C. Code § 56-5-3230, with extra precaution around children. Even if a pedestrian crosses outside a crosswalk, they must yield to vehicles, but this does not erase the driver's duty of care. In hit-and-run crashes, the pedestrian's own auto policy may provide uninsured motorist coverage. Most injury claims must be filed within three years under S.C. Code § 15-3-530.
Insurers frequently argue that a pedestrian was outside a crosswalk, distracted, or hard to see. Under South Carolina's modified comparative negligence rule, a pedestrian can recover if their share of fault does not exceed the combined fault of the defendants, though any award is reduced by that share. When road design contributes to a crash, a government agency may also share responsibility under the Tort Claims Act.
"Regional rankings describe the scale of the problem," said Brett Woron, an attorney with Woron and Dhillon, LLC. "After a crash, the questions are specific to that driver and that crossing. We start with the driver's speed, attention, and line of sight, then look at whether the crossing itself played a role." The firm handles pedestrian claims along with motorcycle accident, catastrophic injury, and other personal injury matters from its Charleston office.
