Terrible Motor Vehicle Accident Involving a Tractor-Trailer In Colleton County in South Carolina Sends Victim to Trauma Center
Posted by
Amy RothschildAugust 28, 2007 9:38 AMOn August 19, 2007, the Colleton County Fire-Rescue in South Carolina responded to a two-vehicle accident on I-95 at the 59-mile marker. A northbound tractor-trailer, which was traveling at a high rate of speed through a work zone, struck a painting truck in the rear end. This was after the same tractor trailer nearly sideswiped a State Trooper. Despite being equipped with an impact cusion, the painting truck which was moving at a slow rate of speed, was twisted in half, flipped over, and landed on the right shoulder trapping the driver upside down in the vehicle.
The tractor-trailer burst into flames and a large amount of diesel fuel was spilled on the highway. The tractor-trailer crashed into a wooded area just off the shoulder of the impact site. The scene of the accident was scattered with burning debris, stopping all northbound traffic for five hours. At first, it was thought that the tractor-trailer was carrying hazardous materials but then it was determined that it was only carrying avocados.
Both paramedics and firefighters worked hard to remove the driver of the paint truck. The driver of the paint truck suffered multiple bone fractures and possible internal injuries. After completing the removal of the driver of the paint truck which took forty-five (45) minutes, he was then flown by helicopter to the Trauma Center of the Medical University of South Carolina.
The tractor-trailer driver was not hurt. It was later determined that the tractor-trailer driver had fallen asleep at the wheel of the rig.
For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.