Yes - the surprising part is that South Carolina is an at-will employment state, so an employer can fire someone for many reasons, but not for filing or pursuing a workers' compensation claim after a work-related crash.

That protection is in S.C. Code § 41-1-80. If your employer cuts your hours, pushes you out, or terminates you because you claimed workers' comp, that is unlawful retaliation. A retaliation lawsuit under that statute must be filed within 1 year.

When things go better than the worst case: a work-related vehicle crash usually creates two separate fault tracks.

First, workers' compensation. If you were driving for work in North Charleston - for example near school-zone traffic on Rivers Avenue, Ashley Phosphate Road, or Dorchester Road during back-to-school congestion - workers' comp generally applies without proving the other driver was at fault. Your own driving mistake usually does not defeat comp benefits. You must give notice to your employer within 90 days, and the claim is generally filed within 2 years with the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission.

Second, a third-party injury claim against the contractor, van driver, or another company. That claim does depend on fault. South Carolina uses modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar. If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing from the third party. If you are 50% or less at fault, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.

That is where the other side argues you caused the crash: speeding in a school zone, failing to yield to a stopped bus, distraction, unsafe backing, or not seeing a pedestrian.

North Charleston Police reports, bus-camera footage, school-zone signs, black-box data, and witness statements often decide how fault is split.