Stations
1, 6 and 12 responded to a fatal MVC in the 3000 block of Cooks
Hill Road, Sunday morning 24-August. Units arrived
to find a Honda Prelude overturned in the woods with heavy damage. It
appeared the vehicle lost
control in a curve, over-corrected and struck a tree roof first
approximately four feet off the ground. The only occupant was DOA and partially trapped
under the vehicle. The patient was not wearing a seatbelt. Portions
of the small car were
resting on the occupants shoulder. The car had been at the location
for some time. The engine and exhaust system were cold to the touch. A
second tree was knocked down and partially impaled in the car.
Personnel from Medic 6 placed the patient on a cardiac monitor to
verify no electrical activity in the heart. The
Coroner was notified. Firefighters illuminated
the scene with lights from Rescue 1.
The entire road was closed down while
the SC Highway Patrol conducted
their investigation. Firefighters searched the surrounding
area for additional patients which included
the use a thermal imager.
No other patients were located.
After the Coroner
arrived and completed his investigation, high pressure air bags were
inserted under the rear quarter panel to lift the car. The vehicle
was raised approximately
five inches to allow for the
patient to be removed from the wreckage. This is the thirteenth
traffic fatality on the County's roads in 2008 and the second fatal
accident this month. A Charleston man lost his life on Bennetts Point
Road earlier in the month. He was also not wearing a seat belt.
Engine 12, Rescue
1, Medic 6, Truck 11, Truck 12 and Battalion 1 responded. Lt. Scott
Feather served as Incident Commander.
