Incident # 25-05749 - At 16:35, Tuesday afternoon 23-July a multi-vehicle high speed MVC occurred on Interstate 95 near the 40 mile marker southbound. The accident took place in Colleton County, on a bridge over the Combahee River just north of the Town of Yemassee. There were two accidents at the location on a rural portion of I-95 which occurred during a heavy thunderstorm. Motorists reported near zero visibility. Witnesses indicated a collision occurred just south of the bridge causing traffic to slow. A second collision occurred on the bridge involving six tractor trailers and six cars/pickup trucks. Preliminary reports indicate fourteen vehicles were involved in the two separate accidents. Firefighter-Paramedics treated 26 patients at the scene, four of those patients were trapped in the wreckage and two of the trapped patients were deceased at the scene. No medical helicopters could fly due to the poor weather conditions.
Two SC Hwy Patrol Troopers drove up on the accident shortly after it happened. They relayed valuable information to responding units. Southbound I-95 was blocked causing traffic to quickly back up several miles, hampering responders from reaching the site. It was determined early that the best route to reach the accident was for units to respond to Yemassee and travel two miles north from Exit 38 in the blocked southbound lanes. Five Colleton County Fire-Rescue ambulances were assigned to the incident. Mutual aid was requested from Hampton County who dispatched two ambulances, several fire units and an ambulance responded from Jasper County Fire-Rescue. The accident involved several vehicles that were piled on top of each other. One semi-truck was hauling sheets of plate glass which was expelled onto the highway. Responders had to work around broken glass, in some areas two feet deep. One victim was trapped in a small passenger car under the pile of vehicles.
Firefighter-Paramedics performed two extrications simultaneously. The small passenger car under the pile of vehicles had an adult male heavily entrapped. Crews spent 35 minutes using multiple Holmatro Pentheon rescue tools to extricate the victim from the car. He was transported emergent to the Trauma Center at MUSC in Charleston and required advanced airway procedures to save his life. Another crew used other Holmatro rescue tools to extricate the truck driver. He was transported to the Trauma Center at HCA Memorial Hospital in Savannah Ga. Nine of the remaining patients were transported to HCA Colleton Hospital and Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Thirteen patients did not require hospitalization. The two deceased patients were transported by the Colleton County Coroner's Office. Law Enforcement Officers worked well keeping the lanes open for the ambulances to reach the triage area. All agencies coordinated well for a positive outcome. The wrecker services played a big part in stabilizing and moving some vehicles so the victims could be safely extricated. SCDOT detoured southbound traffic at Exit 42/Lowcountry Hwy., (US Hwy 21).
Engine 1, Engine 13, Engine 26, Engine 27, Tender 13, Rescue 1, Rescue 18, Medic 1, Medic 13, Medic 18, Medic 26, Medic 91, Brush 8, Brush 27, Car 101, Car 103, Car 110, Car 111, C112, Car 115 and Car 119 responded. Battalion Chief Scott O'Quinn served as Incident Commander. Hampton County Fire-Rescue, Hampton County EMS and Jasper County Fire-Rescue responded as mutual aid
