Since January 1, 2025, South Carolina's auto insurance minimums increased to $50,000 per person, $100,000 per crash, and $25,000 for property damage. That makes it even more important to document PTSD, anxiety, and depression the right way after a wreck. The smarter move is both: use the VA right away for treatment, then add a civilian mental health provider quickly so your injury claim has independent records outside the VA system.

In the next 24 hours: Call the VA and get the earliest mental health appointment you can, including telehealth if that is faster. If your crash was serious and you were seen at MUSC in Charleston or another ER, ask for those records now too. Start a simple daily log: nightmares, panic while driving, avoiding I-26, trouble sleeping, missed work, anger, flashbacks during heavy rain or hurricane-season traffic. Those details matter when there is no visible wound.

In the next week: Set up a visit with a private therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist in the North Charleston area. Why? VA treatment helps you heal, but a civilian claim usually moves better when there are non-VA records, bills, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations the insurance adjuster cannot shrug off as "just benefits care." Save every receipt for co-pays, prescriptions, rides, and missed work time. If the crash report is not in hand, get it from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles or the law enforcement agency that worked the collision.

In the next month: Make sure your records clearly connect the wreck to your symptoms. Ask both providers to note when symptoms started, whether driving, storm debris, hydroplaning, or evacuation-route traffic triggers them, and how they affect work and home life. In South Carolina, the general deadline to file most injury lawsuits is 3 years, but the proof is strongest when treatment starts early and stays consistent.