09/27/2011 – Fatal MVC with entrapment

Incident # 11-05240 - One man lost his life and two other people were injured in a two car, head-on collision in the 3300 block of Charleston Highway (SC Hwy 64) Tuesday morning 27-September at 08:03. The accident occurred in a curve, approximately 2 miles east of Walterboro. An east bound Ford Pickup truck collided with a west bound Mazda causing heavy damage to both vehicles. An adult female passenger in the pick-up truck was trapped in the wreckage. All three people suffered multiple traumatic injuries. The entire highway was blocked due to the wreckage. Three EMTs from Personal Care Ambulance Service, who were enroute to work in Walterboro, drove up on the accident and rendered aid. Engine 19, Medic 19 and Rescue 1 arrived 8 minutes later. Medic 1 and Medic 26 were then assigned to the incident because of the severity of the injuries. A medical helicopter was also requested, but it had to abort due to mechanical problems. The driver of the pick-up truck was already out of the vehicle when responders arrived.

He was briefly treated at the scene and rapidly transported by Fire-Rescue to Colleton Medical Center in critical condition. The 68 year old Hampton County man went into cardiac arrest shortly after arriving at the hospital and did not survive his injuries. Colleton Firefighter-Paramedics used Holmatro Rescue Tools to remove the passenger side door to gain access to the female passenger. She was trapped between the dashboard and the seat. Hydraulic Spreaders were used to displace the dash allowing other personnel to extricate her from the vehicle. She was treated at the scene for severe multiple traumatic injuries and transported directly to the Trauma Center at MUSC by Medic 26 since the helicopter was unable to fly. The 48 year old driver of the Mazda was treated at the scene and transported in stable condition to Colleton Medical Center. He was wearing a seatbelt. The highway was completely blocked for over an hour. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.