Golf Cart Accidents in Charleston’s Island and Resort Communities

Golf carts are everywhere in Charleston’s island and resort communities. On Daniel Island, families drive golf carts to the pool, to dinner, and to Credit One Stadium for concerts and tennis matches. On Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, golf carts share narrow roads with cars, bikes, and pedestrians heading to the beach. On Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island, they are the primary mode of transportation within the gated resort communities. Across Mount Pleasant, Summerville, and newer Charleston-area developments, golf cart paths and designated routes are becoming standard infrastructure.

What many residents and visitors do not realize is that golf carts — despite their low speed and casual image — cause thousands of injuries nationwide every year. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates approximately 15,000 golf cart-related injuries requiring emergency room treatment annually. These are not minor scrapes. Golf cart accidents produce traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, ejection injuries, and in the most severe cases, death — particularly when golf carts interact with motor vehicles on public roads.

Golf Cart Culture in Charleston’s Island and Resort Communities

The Charleston area’s embrace of golf carts reflects its coastal lifestyle and resort community character. But each community presents distinct accident risks:

Daniel Island

Daniel Island is one of the most golf cart-friendly communities in the Charleston area. Residents use golf carts to navigate the island’s network of paths, attend events at Credit One Stadium, visit the marina, and run errands. The mix of golf carts, pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles on Daniel Island’s main roads — particularly during event traffic — creates frequent conflict points.

Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island

Both barrier islands allow golf carts on most public roads. Tourists unfamiliar with island driving patterns, narrow roads with limited shoulders, heavy summer beach traffic, and the absence of traffic signals on most streets create a hazardous environment. Golf carts carrying families — often including small children — share roads with full-size vehicles traveling at 25-35 mph.

Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island

Within these gated resort communities, golf carts are the primary mode of transportation. Paths wind through golf courses, past lagoons, and across roads. Visitors unfamiliar with the path system, blind curves around vegetation, encounters with wildlife (alligators, deer), and path crossings over roads all contribute to accidents.

Mount Pleasant and Summerville Developments

Newer master-planned communities in Mount Pleasant and Summerville increasingly include golf cart paths and designate certain roads for golf cart use. As these communities grow and golf cart traffic increases, so do the opportunities for collisions with vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Common Types of Golf Cart Accidents in the Charleston Area

Golf Cart vs. Motor Vehicle Collisions

The most dangerous type of golf cart accident. When a golf cart — weighing 800-1,200 pounds with no seatbelts, airbags, or crash protection — is struck by a 4,000-pound vehicle traveling at even moderate speed, the physics are devastating. These collisions occur at intersections, driveways, and road crossings where golf carts must enter vehicle traffic. The golf cart’s low profile makes it difficult for drivers to see, particularly at dusk or after dark.

Rollovers

Golf carts have a high center of gravity relative to their narrow wheel base, making them prone to tipping during sharp turns, sudden swerves, or when driving on uneven terrain. Rollovers eject occupants (since golf carts have no seatbelts) and can pin them under the cart. Wet grass, slopes, and the banked curves common on golf course paths increase rollover risk.

Ejection Injuries

Without seatbelts, occupants of golf carts are routinely ejected during sudden stops, sharp turns, collisions, and rollovers. Passengers seated on the rear-facing bench seat of a golf cart are particularly vulnerable to ejection. Ejected occupants strike the pavement, curbs, trees, or other objects, and may be struck by the golf cart itself as it continues to move.

Pedestrian and Cyclist Collisions

Golf carts striking pedestrians — particularly on shared-use paths where walkers, joggers, and cyclists share space with golf carts — cause serious injuries. Golf carts are quiet, and pedestrians may not hear them approaching from behind. On Charleston’s barrier islands, children walking to the beach are at particular risk.

Single-Cart Accidents

A golf cart leaving the path, striking a curb or fixed object, or going into a ditch, lagoon, or water hazard. These accidents are often caused by distracted driving, inexperience, driving at night without adequate lighting, or allowing underage operators to drive.

Injuries From Golf Cart Accidents

The perception that golf carts are “safe” because they are slow is dangerously wrong. Golf carts offer virtually no occupant protection — no seatbelts, no airbags, no crash structure, and open sides that allow occupants to be ejected. Common injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injuries — occupants ejected from golf carts frequently strike their heads on pavement, curbs, or other hard surfaces; children and elderly passengers are most vulnerable
• Spinal cord injuries — compression fractures and spinal cord damage from ejection impacts and rollover crushing forces
• Fractures — broken arms, wrists, hips, ankles, and collarbones from ejection, rollover, and collision impacts
• Crush injuries — when a golf cart rolls over and pins an occupant, or when a golf cart is struck by a motor vehicle and the occupant is crushed between the cart and the vehicle
• Road rash and lacerations — ejected occupants slide across pavement, producing severe abrasion injuries that can require skin grafting
• Drowning — golf carts that enter water hazards, lagoons, or retention ponds — common features of Charleston-area developments and golf courses — create drowning risk for trapped occupants
• Wrongful death — fatal golf cart accidents, while less common than fatal car accidents, occur regularly and are particularly tragic because many victims are children

South Carolina Golf Cart Laws: Where You Can and Cannot Drive

South Carolina regulates golf cart use on public roads under S.C. Code § 56-2-105:

• Permitted roads — golf carts may be operated on secondary highways and streets within municipalities where the speed limit is 35 mph or less
• Crossing roads — golf carts may cross highways with speed limits higher than 35 mph at designated crossings
• Operator age — the operator must be at least 16 years old and hold a valid driver’s license
• Operating hours — golf carts may be operated on public roads only during daylight hours unless equipped with headlights, taillights, turn signals, and a rearview mirror
• Local ordinances — municipalities and counties may adopt additional regulations; Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Daniel Island, and other Charleston-area communities have specific golf cart ordinances

Violations of these laws — operating on a road with a speed limit above 35 mph, allowing an underage operator, or driving after dark without lights — can establish negligence per se if an accident occurs.

Low-Speed Vehicles vs. Golf Carts: A Critical Legal Distinction

South Carolina law distinguishes between golf carts and low-speed vehicles (LSVs):

The distinction matters for accident claims. An LSV that lacks required safety equipment — particularly seatbelts — may create manufacturer liability if the absence of that equipment contributed to the injury. A golf cart owner who modifies the cart to exceed 20 mph may have effectively created an unregistered, uninsured LSV, creating additional liability exposure.

Who Is Liable for a Golf Cart Accident?

Depending on the circumstances, multiple parties may share liability for a golf cart accident:

• The golf cart operator — for negligent operation including distraction, excessive speed, underage driving, driving under the influence, or operating after dark without lights
• The golf cart owner — for negligent entrustment (allowing an underage, unlicensed, or impaired person to operate the cart) or for failing to maintain the cart in safe condition
• Motor vehicle drivers — if a car or truck struck the golf cart, the vehicle driver may bear primary liability for the collision
• Golf cart manufacturers — for design defects including inadequate stability, absence of occupant retention features, and insufficient lighting; the lack of standard seatbelts on golf carts is an active area of product liability litigation
• Resorts and HOAs — resort communities and homeowners’ associations that provide golf carts to guests or permit golf cart use on their roads may be liable for inadequate safety rules, poorly designed path systems, or failure to maintain paths and crossings
• Rental companies — companies that rent golf carts to tourists without adequate safety instructions, age verification, or equipment maintenance
• Government entities — municipalities that designate roads for golf cart use without adequate safety measures (signage, crossings, speed enforcement) may share liability

Comparative Fault in South Carolina Golf Cart Cases

South Carolina’s modified comparative fault rule (S.C. Code § 15-38-15) applies to golf cart accidents. You can recover damages as long as your own fault is less than 51%. Common comparative fault arguments in golf cart cases include:

• The golf cart operator failed to yield at a road crossing
• A passenger chose to ride on the back or hang off the side of the cart
• The golf cart was operated after dark without lights
• An underage person was operating the golf cart with parental knowledge

Even if you bear some fault, you can still recover the portion of damages attributable to the other party’s negligence. In Georgia, the threshold is slightly stricter — you cannot recover if you are 50% or more at fault (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33).

Golf Cart Insurance: Coverage Gaps That Catch Owners Off Guard

Unlike motor vehicles, South Carolina does not require golf cart owners to carry liability insurance. This creates a major coverage gap when accidents occur:

• Homeowner’s insurance may provide some coverage for golf cart accidents occurring on the owner’s property, but coverage for accidents on public roads or community paths varies widely by policy
• Standalone golf cart insurance is available but many owners do not purchase it
• Uninsured motorist coverage on your auto insurance policy may apply if you are injured by an uninsured golf cart on a public road
• Resort and HOA insurance may cover accidents involving carts provided by the community, but coverage limits are often inadequate for serious injuries

If you are injured by a golf cart with no insurance, identifying alternative sources of coverage is critical. An experienced attorney can analyze all available insurance policies to maximize your recovery.

Filing Deadlines for Golf Cart Accident Claims

• South Carolina personal injury — three years from the date of the accident (S.C. Code § 15-3-530)
• South Carolina wrongful death — three years from the date of death (S.C. Code § 15-51-20)
• Product liability claims against manufacturers — three years, but the discovery rule may extend the deadline if the defect was not immediately apparent
• Georgia personal injury — two years (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33)

How a Charleston Golf Cart Accident Lawyer Can Help

Golf cart accident cases present unique challenges — uncertain insurance coverage, product liability questions, local ordinance compliance, and the perception that golf carts cannot cause serious injuries. A Charleston golf cart accident lawyer from Roden Law can:

• Investigate the accident — document the scene, the golf cart’s condition, the road or path design, and any contributing factors like lighting, signage, or speed
• Identify all sources of insurance coverage — analyze homeowner’s policies, golf cart policies, resort/HOA coverage, uninsured motorist coverage, and any other applicable policies
• Pursue product liability claims — if the golf cart’s design — particularly the absence of seatbelts or inadequate stability — contributed to your injuries, we can pursue claims against the manufacturer
• Establish negligence — prove that the operator, owner, resort, rental company, or municipality was negligent in causing or contributing to the accident
• Overcome the “it’s just a golf cart” defense — insurance companies and juries may underestimate golf cart accident injuries; we present medical evidence and expert testimony that demonstrates the true severity of these crashes

At Roden Law, we represent golf cart accident victims throughout Daniel Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island, Mount Pleasant, and the greater Charleston area. We handle every golf cart accident case on a contingency-fee basis — you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

If you or a family member has been injured in a golf cart accident, call us today at (843) 790-8999 or 1-844-RESULTS for a free consultation.

About the Author

Eric Roden

Founding Partner, CEO