The surprising part: a verbal settlement offer means almost nothing. In South Carolina, insurers sometimes float numbers by phone to test whether your family will bite low before they show their hand on paper.

If the offer keeps changing, that usually points to one of three situations:

1. They are fishing for a cheap, fast release. This happens a lot after Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving crashes around Myrtle Beach, when wreck volume and drunk-driving claims spike. The adjuster may say, "We can get a check out this week," but avoid sending terms because the real goal is speed, not fairness. Once a release is signed, the case is usually over even if new treatment, surgery, or missed work shows up later.

2. They do not think the injuries are fully documented yet. If your spouse was stranded in a holiday pileup on US 501, SC 31, or coming from the I-26 corridor, the insurer may be waiting to see whether treatment gaps appear. No written offer can mean they want more records, or they are hoping the family gets overwhelmed and accepts less. That is especially common when the crash involved soft-tissue injuries, a roundabout dispute, or an ATV/four-wheeler wreck where fault is argued.

3. They are setting up the "go to court then" bluff. Most South Carolina injury cases do not go to trial. "Going to court" usually starts with filing a lawsuit in Horry County Court of Common Pleas, then written discovery, depositions, medical reviews, and often mediation before any jury is picked. Insurers know that. They may avoid a written offer while pushing the idea that trial is extreme, expensive, or years away.

Two rules matter in South Carolina: the usual injury lawsuit deadline is 3 years, and if the injured person is found more than 50% at fault, recovery can be barred under modified comparative negligence. That is why the writing matters: it shows the amount, the conditions, and whether they are quietly blaming your side.