08/January/2015 – MVC w/entrapment – “A” Shift

Incident # 16-00141 – Two people were injured in a three vehicle crash involving a tractor trailer on I-95 near the 45 mile marker southbound, Friday evening 08-January. At 22:22, 9-1-1 operators received the report of the multi-vehicle accident. The initial caller advised two people were trapped in separate cars. They stated a SUV was in the middle of the highway and a tractor trailer was in the median. Medic 13 arrived 5 minutes later to find the south bound lanes under the Combahee Road overpass blocked by vehicles and debris. They confirmed one person was trapped in a Ford Expedition. Two off-duty NYPD officers and a SLED agent who had been responding to another incident, were assisting him. The driver of a Kia Soul, located off of the right shoulder, was found in the rear of the car. Crews were able to force open the hatchback and extricate him from the rear of the car. He suffered non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Expedition suffered multiple life threatening traumatic injuries. A medical helicopter was requested to fly to the scene, but they declined the response due to light fog. Firefighter-Paramedics began treating the man during the extrication. Other crewmembers used Holmatro Rescue Tools to displace wreckage and remove the passenger side doors to free the man. He was extricated with full spinal precautions, then rapidly transported to Colleton Medical Center. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured.

Apparently, the Soul was attempting to pull the Expedition when it entered the path of the southbound tractor trailer. The semi-truck collided with the rear of the Expedition, pushing it into the Soul. The truck suffered heavy front end damage, which breached the fuel tanks, spilling an estimated 150 gallons of diesel fuel at the scene. Firefighters diked the flow in the ditch to prevent any further run off. A local contractor cleaned up the spill. Southbound traffic was blocked for nearly two hours until one lane could be reopened. Law Enforcement and DOT rerouted traffic from SC Hwy 63 (Exit 53) through Walterboro. Fire units remained on the scene for 2-1/2 hours, while cleanup crews worked through the night.  

Engine 1, Rescue 1, Medic 1, Medic 13, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Dan Barb served as Incident Commander.