Colleton County Fire-Rescue

5/8/2010

Stations 1, 18, 26 and 27 responded to a fatal single car MVC on I-95 at the 56 mile marker southbound at 1729, Saturday afternoon 8-May. A southbound 1997 Dodge mini-van suffered a possible tire failure causing the driver to lose control and enter the median. According to witnesses, the van flipped over four times, crossed both lanes of the highway before coming to rest backwards on the right hand shoulder. No one in the van was wearing a seatbelt. One front seat passenger and a rear passenger were ejected from the vehicle. The rear ejected passenger was killed due to multiple trauma injuries. He was pronounced DOA at the scene. The other three occupants suffered multiple trauma injuries, were treated at the scene by Firefighter-Paramedics and transported to Colleton Medical Center by Medic 18 and Medic 27. One man was later transferred by ambulance to the Trauma Center at MUSC.  

Southbound traffic on I-95 was reduced  to one lane for over an hour causing a slight one mile backup which was quickly relieved once the accident investigation was completed. All four patients were from Guatemala. They had been recently living in Pennsylvania, but were moving to Georgia to work.

Engine 26, Rescue 1, Medic 18, Medic 27, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Firefighter-Paramedic Ben Heape served as Incident Commander.