Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

Two tanker trucks overturned on South Carolina Interstate 26 exit ramps in the past week, highlighting the dangers the public faces from inattentive truck drivers.

The first incident occurred at the I-26/U.S. 301 interchange in Orangeburg County. The South Carolina Highway Patrol indicated the driver of a tanker truck carrying sodium bisulfate decided too late to exit I-26 and ran off the ramp because he was traveling too fast to handle the curve. The tank developed three leaks, releasing the sodium bisulfate, a skin and respiratory irritant. Nearby businesses were evacuated until a hazmat team contained and removed the spill.

The second incident happened in Dorchester County near the I-26 interchange with I-95. A tanker truck carrying 22 tons of acrylamide from Florida to Michigan overturned when the driver took the exit for U.S. 15 travelling too fast. Acrylamide is a potential carcinogen that is also flammable. The South Carolina Highway Patrol and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control closed I-26 and U.S. 15 in both directions for 6 hours until hazmat teams could evaluate and contain the spill.

Thanks to WIS and the Charleston Post and Courier for reporting.

Continue reading "Recent Truck Spills on I-26 in South Carolina Remind Us of Dangers" »

In a tragic turn of events, Lance Corporal James Haynes, an eleven year veteran of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, died early Friday morning in an accident as he responded to a tractor trailer collision. Corporal Haynes’s patrol car left the rain-slicked roadway near Orangeburg, South Carolina and struck a utility pole.

By all accounts, Trooper Haynes, the father of two, was a deeply committed family man. He was a little league coach and in one prior interview cited his mother as the most influential person in his life. On the job he was a frequently commended patrol officer who was named Trooper of the Month in September 2007 by the Orangeburg Times and Democrat newspaper.

Traffic-related incidents have been the leading cause of death of on-duty law enforcement officers for each of the last ten years.

Thanks to WIS, the Times and Democrat, and policemag for reporting.

Continue reading "South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Fatally Injured in Accident" »

Debra Minder was fatally injured early December 15 in Aiken County, South Carolina as she tried to push her stalled car out of traffic near mile marker 31 on Interstate 20. Ms. Minder, of Eastover, South Carolina, was on the driver’s side of her car, while her fiancé pushed from the rear of the car. They pushed the car, whose hazard lights were reportedly flashing, about four feet out of the roadway before the tanker truck hit her. Kenny Gibbons of Augusta, Georgia, was driving the empty tanker truck owned by Harbin Transport Company, of Sumter, SC. Her fiancé was uninjured, as was her son, who was asleep in the car at the time of the collision. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.

Thanks to AugustaChronicle, the Edgefield Daily and WIS for reporting.

Continue reading "Tanker Truck Hits Driver Pushing Disabled Car Off I-20" »

The South Carolina Highway Patrol has charged Elijah Love of North Augusta, South Carolina, with driving too fast for conditions relating to the incident that closed westbound Interstate 26 in Columbia on Tuesday, December 11. Mr. Love’s tanker truck overturned on the curving overpass interchange between I-26 and I-126. Mr. Love’s truck, which contained acid, lodged against the safety railing, prompting concerns for traffic passing beneath. The Highway Patrol closed all westbound traffic on the two interstates at the wreck location for about 7 hours. Thankfully, authorities report that no acid spilled out of the truck.

Thanks to WIS and The State for reporting.

Continue reading "South Carolina Trucker Who Forced Closure of I-26 Charged" »

A Sunday evening collision between an SUV and a Toyota Avalon resulted in 9 people being taken to local hospitals. One of the passengers, three year old Jakob Miller of Lexington, South Carolina, died of his injuries at Lexington Medical Center. Our sincere condolences go out to his family. Although the investigation is ongoing, early reports indicate the driver of the Toyota failed to stop at the intersection of Smith’s Pond Road and Two Notch Road, striking the SUV traveling east on Two Notch Road. The toddler was partially ejected from the Toyota.

Thanks to WLTX and WIS for reporting.

Continue reading "Two Car Collision Takes the Life of Gilbert, South Carolina Child" »

Standra Jones, a long-time South Carolina DOT worker and married father of two, was fatally injured when a pickup truck ran off Interstate 26 early Thursday morning, striking him as he supervised a barrier cleaning project. Mr. Jones was rushed to Lexington Medical Center, but doctors were unable to save him. The pickup truck, driven by Robert Cunningham of Gaston, South Carolina, left the westbound I-26 roadway around 5:40 a.m. and ran into an SC DOT truck before hitting Mr. Jones. The pickup truck driver and another SC DOT worker, whose name has not been released, were also injured. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is still investigating the collision.

Thanks to WIS television and The State newspaper for reporting.

Continue reading "South Carolina DOT Maintenance Foreman Perishes" »

Early on Saturday morning, December 1st, a Freightliner truck on I-26 near Orangeburg, South Carolina rear-ended the Suzuki automobile in which Danielle Davis was riding. Ms. Davis, a 21 year old resident of Charlotte, died from her injuries. The driver, Jennifer Davis, and another passenger in the car, Rose Jackson, were injured and transported to a local hospital. The trucker, Willie Davis, was also injured. According to reports, the trucking company is Robin Hood Trucking, of Benson, North Carolina. The Highway Patrol’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is investigating the cause of the wreck.

Thanks to WIS Television and The Orangeburg Times and Democrat for reporting on this tragic story.

Continue reading "Orangeburg, South Carolina Tractor-Trailer Wreck Claims the Life of Young Charlotte Woman" »

A McHenry County, Illinois judge has found Vincente Zepeda guilty of eight counts of negligent homicide and one felony count of failure to inspect his vehicle. The charges stemmed from an October, 2007, incident in which the defendant slammed his 35-ton tractor trailer into the rear of a tour bus near a toll plaza on Interstate 90. The collision caused a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles in which fifteen others were injured. All eight fatalities were passengers on the tour bus and part of the same women’s cultural group returning home from an outing. The defendant waived his right to a jury, preferring to have a judge hear the evidence in the case. Investigators testified that he failed to notice that his truck’s rear axle brakes were not working and he was travelling 60 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. construction zone at the time of the incident. The judge rejected Zepeda’s testimony that he was travelling slower than investigators reported and that he did everything he could to avoid the collision. Zepeda will lose his driver’s license and face up to five years in prison. Zepeda’s attorney reportedly plans to appeal the decision.

Thanks to ChicagoTribune.com and the Northwest Herald for their reporting.

The trucker at the center of a multiple fatality crash on I-526 on July 14, 2007 faces charges of DUI near his hometown in North Carolina. Bobby Davis was arrested following a November 2 incident in which he went careening over a mailbox and through a yard before crossing the road and crashing into a tree. Investigators have not released the results of tests for Mr. Davis’s blood alcohol concentration. In the July incident, Mr. Davis told investigators a car cut him off, causing him to rear-end a car. His truck went over that car and a van and a fire broke out. Three occupants of the van died. The driver of another car trapped between the truck wreckage and a concrete wall also perished in that collision. For the earlier wreck, Mr. Davis was charged with driving too fast for conditions.

Thanks to the Charleston Post and Courier.

Continue reading "Driver of Deadly July North Charleston Collision Faces Charges in Another Crash" »

Motorcycle enthusiasts Debra and David Carlson were both injured when a vehicle reportedly pulled out in front of their motorcycle on S.C. 90 in Horry County on November 11. Despite wearing a helmet, Mrs. Carlson suffered grievous injuries in the collision. Mrs. Carlson died Friday, November 21, after being removed from life support. The Carlsons had just returned from a funeral in New York and were travelling that day to visit friends whose son had recently died in an automobile collision. Mr. Carlson was also seriously injured in the collision and has undergone surgical repair of a broken pelvis. The Carlsons moved to South Carolina permanently in 2005 from the Buffalo, New York area. Mrs. Carlson was a retired dental assistant. Mr. Carlson is retired from a 26 year law enforcement career, most prominently punctuated by a high-profile incident while he was an Erie County sheriff’s deputy. Mr. Carlson was shot and a fellow deputy killed in the line of duty when serving a drug warrant in 1989.

Thanks to MyrtleBeachOnline.com and Buffalonews.com.

Continue reading "Longs, South Carolina Woman Succumbs to Injuries from Veterans Day Motorcycle Accident" »

A tractor trailer travelling from Charleston, South Carolina to Missouri struck a van carrying six prisoners from a work release program November 15. The van’s driver and all the passengers were transported to local hospitals. Except for one, all the prisoners were treated and released. The driver of the truck was treated for a broken finger as well as cuts and bruises. The prisoners were from Campbell Pre-Release Center in Columbia, South Carolina en route to a work release brush clearing project. The cause of the collision is still under investigation. Early reports indicated that the van was parked alongside the road, but later reports stated that both vehicles were travelling westbound at the time of the collision.

Thanks to TheState.com, GreenvilleOnline.com, WYFF4.com, and WIStv.com.

Continue reading "Tractor-Trailer Hits Prison Van on I-26, 8 Injured" »

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is closer to answering why a tour bus left I-26 in Dorchester County, South Carolina early Monday morning, crashing into the woods along the interstate. Late Monday, the Dorchester County Coroner’s Office released preliminary results indicating the driver, 58 year old George William Thomas of Hanahan, suffered a brain aneurysm and died of blunt trauma. This would appear to indicate that the aneurysm caused the driver to lose control, allowing the bus to veer off the road, striking trees. The bus left from St. Stephens en route to Miami, with about 50 passengers on board. 30 passengers were transported to Charleston area hospitals. Reports indicate that all are in stable condition. Passenger reports draw a vivid picture of the chaos at the scene as parents tried to find their children in the smoking wreckage of the bus. The bus company’s co-owner, Charlie Hill, stated that prior to this incident, his company, 5 Star Transportation, had a perfect safety record.

Thanks to TheState.com, WIStv.com, and the Charleston Post and Courier (Charleston.net).

Continue reading "Bus Runs Off I-26 Near Charleston: 1 Dead, 30 Injured" »

Most of the accounts on my blog involve the damage done by tractor-trailers, but truckers face dangers, too. Someone shot three tractor-trailers that were traveling on the same rural stretch of I-26 in Calhoun County, South Carolina on November 13.

The shootings occurred in the span of just a few minutes just after 7 p.m. Police believe all of the shots came from the vicinity of the same overpass near St. Matthews and reportedly have recovered cartridge casings. Two trucks were shot in the windshield, one other in the door. Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported.

The police face an uphill battle solving this crime. In the last two decades, there have been at least ten reported incidents such as this nationwide and most of these cases required a lucky break or a tip from family or friends before the police could zero in on a suspect. The notorious Ohio interstate sniper case in 2003, involving 12 shootings, was solved when a mentally disturbed man’s family turned in his pistol, which police then matched to bullet fragments. The Indiana I65/I-69 sniper was caught after an acquaintance told a police officer that a teenager he knew owned the same kind of gun. In Nevada in 1995, the man who shot six cars was arrested the dame day after being stopped for a broken taillight 300 miles away. And the sniper who shot into a Massachusetts school bus, killing a 14 year old girl was apprehended based on a tip from a criminal suspect in an unrelated case.

Truck driving is consistently on the list of ten most dangerous jobs in America, ahead of much more publicized jobs like policeman or firefighter. Worrying about snipers should not be added to the responsibilities of the person behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound vehicle. Let’s hope the police in Calhoun County catch a break soon.

Continue reading "South Carolina Shooter Targeting Truckers on I-26" »

A Simpsonville teenager faces possible charges in a two vehicle head-on collision on U.S. 29 in Anderson County. The eighteen year old driver, Thomas George of Simpsonville, reportedly was speeding and crossed the centerline in his Durango SUV, striking the GMC pickup driven by Bobby Joe Kirkum of Hartwell, Georgia. Mr. Kirkum was partially ejected from his truck, which was thrown from the roadway. Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore states Mr. Kirkum died of chest and neck trauma.

Continue reading "Fatal Wreck in Anderson County, South Carolina" »

Wendell Gregory, a thirty year old man from Beaufort, was charged with two felony DUI counts last week following a single car accident on St. Helena on August 25, 2007. Mr. Gregory was the driver of a Lincoln sedan that left the roadway and struck a tree. The car’s owner, Susan Fawcett of Lady’s Island, was a rear passenger in the wreck and died of her injuries at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Another passenger, Michael Cohen, was also injured in the collision. The Highway Patrol has not released details of the incident.

The Beaufort Gazette reports that Mr. Gregory has been arrested 26 times just in Beaufort County and a SLED check revealed numerous convictions for driving and drug offenses. A recent inquiry indicates that Mr. Gregory is already out of jail on bond.

Continue reading "Beaufort, South Carolina Man Charged in Fatal Wreck" »

Kevin Marcus was nearing home on Sunday. His mother and next-door neighbor, Ruth, were his passengers in his Toyota Corolla. When they were almost home, they were struck from behind by a tractor trailer. The force of the collision slammed their car into the Volkswagen ahead of them, driven by Mr. Marcus’s roommate, Michael Diebold.

All three were taken to AnMed Medical Center, but Mr. Marcus died of his injuries shortly after arriving.

The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured.

Continue reading "Truck Accident on I-85 Kills Anderson Man " »

The Town of Lexington, South Carolina appears to be backing down on its attempts to re-route big rigs away from downtown.

Local merchants have noted a marked increase in noise and damage caused by large trucks passing through downtown in the last few years. A 2003 beautification plan narrowed the roadway on Main Street to make it a more attractive destination. Traffic has increased, but much of it is through traffic, which doesn’t benefit local merchants. The narrowed roads haven’t done a thing to discourage big trucks from cutting through downtown. Sadly, Town leaders appear unable to regulate this traffic problem.

The trouble with trying to re-route heavy trucks is that Main Street in Lexington is a segment of U.S. Highway 1, which stretches from Canada to Key West, so the South Carolina Department of Transportation has the final authority over traffic on this road. Early indications are that SCDOT has discouraged the Town’s request to move truck traffic away from Main Street, citing heavy traffic on the alternate routes.

Continue reading "Lexington, South Carolina's Truck Traffic Problem Not Over" »

On Monday afternoon, 35-year-old Kristy Lynn Hutto, of Orangeburg, died at the scene of a collision between her car and a truck on Highway 21, near I-26 in Lexington County, South Carolina. The intersection is not far from the Town of Swansea. Ms. Hutto was driving north on Highway 21, when William Bennett, II's eastbound truck failed to stop at a stop sign and collided into her car. Bennett, who has been charged with failing to yield the right-of-way, was attempting to cross onto the entrance ramp of I-26. Bennett and his passenger received comparatively minor injuries in the wreck, but were transported from the scene to Palmetto Richland Hospital in Columbia. Ms. Hutto was an off-duty employee of American Heritage Ambulance.

We appreciate the reporting of WLTX and WIS regarding this tragedy.

Continue reading "Labor Day Truck Accident Claims the Life of 35-Year-Old Woman" »

At around 11:35 on Wednesday night, 20-year-old Brandon Mullins, of Lexington, South Carolina, was involved in a head-on collision, when a Dodge Stratus ran into Mullins' Toyota Corolla. The wreck took place on Bush River Road in Lexington County. Mullins, who was wearing his seatbelt, died nearly an hour later at the Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia. There was a passenger in Mullins' car who survived with minor injuries, as did the driver of the Dodge Stratus.

Thanks to The State newspaper in Columbia for reporting this sad incident.

Continue reading "Young Lexington, South Carolina Man Dies in Head-On Collision" »