Six people were injured after a pickup truck rear ended a car carrier on I-95 near the 54 mile marker southbound in Colleton County (SC), Tuesday morning 20-September at 02:08. Both vehicles were traveling southbound when the collision occurred. The 2015 Silverado pickup truck overtook the tractor trailer car carrier and impacted the rear of the trailer, pushing the lower deck of cars forward and causing heavy damage to the pickup truck which was pinned to the trailer. The adult male driver of the pickup truck was trapped in the wreckage and suffered multiple traumatic injuries. An adult female and two female juveniles in car seats were also injured. Both adult male patients in the tractor trailer also complained of non-life threatening injuries.
First arriving Colleton County (SC) Firefighter-Paramedics on Medic 1 and Engine 1 requested three additional Fire-Rescue ambulances while they began treating the injured. One lane of southbound I-95 was closed. Crews used Holmatro rescue tools from Engine 1 to remove the driver’s door and free the driver. He was transported emergent to the trauma center at Trident Medical in Summerville by Medic 19. The other patients were transported to Colleton Medical Center. The driver of the tractor trailer denied ambulance transport.
Two dogs also escaped the pickup truck. Firefighters caught one dog and secured him until Animal Control officers arrived. Personnel and Animal Control units searched the area between Exits 53 and 57 for an hour but were unable to locate the second canine. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.
Engine 1, Medic 1, Medic 13, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Scott O’Quinn served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A 21-year-old male received multiple traumatic injuries in a single-car crash in the 5400 block of Sidneys Road north of Walterboro (SC) Thursday evening 25-August at 22:55. The northbound Chevrolet Trailblazer left the roadway in a curve at a high rate of speed. The vehicle crossed into the southbound lane, struck the ditch and overturned, striking several trees. A large tree impacted at the driver’s side “A” post, crushing the dash onto the patient’s legs, trapping him upside down in the car.
Colleton County Firefighter-Paramedics found the male conscious, but with multiple complaints. Crews began treating him inside the vehicle, while other firefighters began the process of extricating him from the wreckage. The vehicle was stabilized, prior to firefighters using Holmatro Rescue Tools to remove the driver’s door. Crews worked for another 30 minutes to displace the dash and free the patient’s legs. He was extricated with full spinal precautions, then transported emergent in Fire-Rescue Medic 19 to the trauma center at Trident Medical in Summerville. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Engine 19, Medic 19, Rescue 1, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Ben Heape served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A 21-year-old Cottageville man died following a two vehicle head-on collision in the 5800 block of Cottageville Hwy (US Hwy 17-A) Friday morning 12-February at 05:35. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue units from Station #9 arrived to find a 2007 Ford pickup truck on the northbound shoulder with heavy damage. The engine had been thrown 50 feet into the nearby swamp. The driver suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was trapped in the wreckage with no signs of life.
An empty tractor-trailer dump truck was in the woods on the southbound side. The tractor-trailer struck several large trees after the collision with the pickup. The 70-year-old truck driver was also trapped in the wreckage of his vehicle. Engine 9 requested an additional station and ambulance to be assigned to the incident.
Cottageville Highway was blocked due the wreckage. Firefighter-Paramedics began treating the truck driver in the cab, while other crewmembers used Holmatro rescue tools to displace the dash and remove the seat. The driver was extricated with full spinal precautions, then carried through the swamp and up an embankment to Medic 19. He was transported to Colleton Medical Center with multiple, non-life threatening injuries.
The Coroner’s Office responded to the scene. Following their investigation, firefighters used Holmatro rescue tools to extricate the driver of the pickup truck. The Coroner’s Office transported his body. It appeared the northbound pickup left the roadway, over-corrected, then crossed into the path of the southbound tractor-trailer. The collision punctured and dislodged one of the large fuel tanks off of the dump truck spreading diesel fuel over the entire scene. SCDOT brought a sand truck to cover the spilled fuel. Traffic on Cottageville Highway was detoured for six hours, until the accident could be cleared.
Engine 9, Engine 19, Medic 9, Medic 19, Rescue 1, Battalion 1, and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A 25 yr. old woman suffered multiple traumatic injuries from a single-car crash in the 1000 block of Industrial Road north of Walterboro (SC) Friday evening 05-February. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was notified of the accident at 23:10 after a witness advised 9-1-1 a car had left the roadway and struck a tree.
Engine 19 and Medic 19, stationed two blocks away, arrived two minutes later to find a 2016 Nissan with massive damage and in several pieces on an embankment. Firefighter-Paramedics found the driver still alive and trapped in the wreckage. They requested a heavy rescue, then placed a medical helicopter on standby. Crews began treating the woman and started the extrication with Holmatro Rescue Tools carried on Engine 19. Treatment included spinal immobilization and multiple IVs.
After Rescue 1 arrived, additional hydraulic rescue tools were deployed to displace the dash. Engine 19’s personnel had already removed the remainder of the driver’s side of the car and the roof. The rear of the car was separated and a portion of the roof had been sheared off. The car had been traveling at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway, drove up an embankment, and struck a driveway. The car became airborne, clearing the driveway, then struck five trees, uprooting one small oak. The extrication took approximately 20 minutes.
Once freed, the patient was rapidly transported by Medic 19 to the helipad at Colleton Medical Center to meet with LifeNet 4 stationed there. The patient was flown to the trauma center at MUSC in Charleston. The Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene and SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Engine 19, Medic 19, Rescue 1, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
