BY HEATHER RUPPE
Local firefighter-paramedics with Colleton County Fire-Rescue (CCFR) helped to pull a trapped driver from a wine truck that was crushed recently on Interstate 95. That driver, however, died at the scene.
The tractor trailer crashed near the 40-mile marker on I-95 on Nov. 3rd in the southbound lane after the rig struck the median’s side guardrail at the Combahee River Bridge, pushing the tractor trailer down an embankment. The truck then overturned and struck several large trees, causing “massive damage” to the semi, according to CCFR Director Barry McRoy. “The load of wine was ejected through the front of the trailer and littered the scene,” he said. “The cab of the truck was stopped by the trees, and completely separated from the chassis, trapping the driver inside the cab.”
The unidentified male driver had multiple traumatic injuries, but was pulled from the wreckage. No other victims were found at the scene. The Hampton County Coroner’s Office handled this death.
Additionally, the truck’s diesel tanks ruptured during the crash and spilled fuel into the nearby swamp. Therefore, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) was called to the scene.
Additionally, the S.C. Highway Patrol is investigating this fatal crash.
