Five Killed and Others Injured in Violent Multi-Vehicle Car Accident in Charleston, SC
Posted by
Amy RothschildJuly 16, 2007 5:15 PMOn Friday, July 13, 2007, around rush hour traffic, there was a terrible car accident on the northbound lanes of Interstate 526 or the Mark Clark Expressway at the North Rhett on-ramp. A total of eight vehicles were involved. All the lanes on that portion of Interstate 526 were closed for nearly 10 hours after the accident.
While the exact cause of the accident may not be known for weeks, it appears that an 18-wheeler tractor trailer collided with the rear of a vehicle merging onto Interstate 526 at the North Rhett Avenue Ramp. The car that was rear-ended and a van went under the empty refrigerated Ryder truck. Another car was trapped between the truck and a wall that runs along the entrance ramp. The Ryder truck burst into flames which then spread to the van and two cars. The heat from the fire was so intense that it a nearby light pole blackened and buckled.
The five occupants of the truck, van and two cars died as a result of the incident. It wasn't immediately clear as to whether the deceased victimes died as a result of the impact or the fiery blaze, but the fire made it difficult for these victims to be identified. It was later determined that four of the five victims died from smoke inhalation and the fifth victim died from blunt force trauma.
Four other vehicles became involved in the chain reaction. The occupants of these four vehicles were taken to the Medical University of South Carolina for treatment. As of Sunday, July 15, 2007, two of the four occupants that were taken to the hospital for treatment had been released.
Again, it could be weeks before the exact cause of the accident is determined.
For more information on this subject matter please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.