21/July/2014 – Fatal MVC with two Air Evacs – “A” Shift

Incident # 14-04273 – One person died and six others were injured in a single vehicle, high speed MVC on I-95 near the 61 mile marker northbound Monday morning 21-July. At 03:13, Fire-Rescue was notified of the accident in which a Chrysler mini-van left the Interstate Highway and struck several trees.  The small vehicle received heavy damage and caught fire. One adult was not able to escape the burning vehicle. 9-1-1 received multiple reports about the accident, but they only indicated one person being trapped in the van. At least two civilians used small portable fire extinguishers in an effort to douse the flames. Battalion 1 had one additional ambulance assigned to the incident prior to arrival as a precaution.

When Firefighter-Paramedics arrived they found the van fully involved, burning in the median. Four patients were found on the ground south of the van lying on the shoulder of the road, three were in critical condition. Two additional patients were found lying in the emergency lane on the opposite side of the highway, with non-life threatening traumatic injuries. Two additional ambulances were assigned to the incident and three medical helicopters were requested, as crews began treating the injured and extinguishing the fire.

Northbound traffic was stopped for over an hour. LifeNet 4 from Walterboro and Meducare Air from Charleston responded to the scene. A Landing Zone was set up on the Interstate north of the accident site. Two other helicopters turn down the flight, citing poor weather conditions. Two patients were flown from the scene to the Trauma Center at MUSC in Charleston. One patient was transported by Medic 13 to the Trauma Center, while the remaining three patients were transported to Colleton Medical Center. The Coroner’s Office transported the deceased patient to Colleton Medical Center. Units were on the scene for three hours. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.  

Engine 26, Medic 1, Medic 13, Medic 19, Medic 26, Rescue 1, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 105 responded. Engineer-Paramedic (Acting Battalion Chief) Brian Rowe served as Incident Commander.