Incident # 21-08810 - A 52 year old Savannah Ga man was critically injured when his delivery truck collided with a flatbed truck on Interstate 95 near the 42 mile marker Southbound, Wednesday afternoon at 17.45. The accident occurred at Exit 42, just north of Lowcountry Hwy. (US Hwy 21). A southbound International flatbed tri axle truck suffered mechanical problems when traffic stopped. The disabled truck was stuck in the median side lane, unable to move. The driver placed warning triangles behind the vehicle. The rural roadway was dark and a thunderstorm had recently passed through the area. The 2011 Chevrolet 2500 refrigerated delivery truck was traveling southbound when it came upon the disabled truck. The Chevrolet collided with the rear of the International at a high rate of speed crushing the cab. There were no skid marks and the dash was pushed into the back wall trapping the driver in the wreckage. An off duty nurse practitioner stopped to render aid until Firefighter-Paramedics arrived. Crews found the unconscious man heavily entrapped. They used Holmatro Pentheon and Core Rescue Tools to extricate the man. The doors were removed and several Rams and Spreaders were used to push the dash off of the man. His lower extremities were also trapped, which required about ten additional minutes to free the man. The extrication took approx. 25 minutes. A medical helicopter was requested, but none could fly due to the poor weather conditions. The man was treated during the extrication and shortly at the scene, before being transported emergent in Fire-Rescue Medic 13 to the Trauma Center at Trident Medical Center in North Charleston. Two additional Firefighter-Paramedics assisted with his care during transport. Traffic was backed up for several miles, however it was diverted around the accident using the exit ramp to Lowcountry Hwy. Traffic was able to bypass the accident by exiting to Lowcountry Hwy, then reentering the Interstate. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. The Colleton County Sheriff's Office assisted with traffic control. The driver of the International was not injured.
