Teens Injured in Crash in Colleton County, South Carolina

COLLETON COUNTY, SC- Abcnews.com writes that three teenagers in Florida suffered injuries in a crash that occurred over the weekend. The crash happened when a football-sized piece of concrete smashed through the vehicle's windshield and struck the eighteen-year-old driver. The driver lost consciousness, and a fifteen-year-old in the passenger seat attempted to control the car. The car crashed into some trees along the roadway.*

All three teenagers in the vehicle suffered injuries in the accident. Responders transferred them to a nearby hospital. 

The police are not sure where the concrete came from, but other large pieces of concrete were found about one mile from the scene along the side of Interstate 95. 

Drivers in the area wondered how the concrete could have been on the road or hit the driver's window but did say the road often has rocks and debris on it, which can lead to cracked windshields.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) stated that they check the road for dangerous debris on a regular basis and that drivers are encouraged to report hazards on the state’s roads. 

A representative from the SCDOT says that they identified a patch on the road where the pavement had dislodged. This was likely the source of the concrete block that struck the teen. The SCDOT patched the area and stated that it is part of the roadway that will be undergoing a construction project and permanent repairs.

Road debris causes around 50,000 accidents each year in the United States. Hundreds of people die each year in collisions that are caused by debris on the road. Most of the debris comes from poorly maintained roads and trucks with unsecured loads.

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:https://abcnews4.com/news/local/teens-recovering-from-crash-after-concrete-breaks-windshield and https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2018/02/10/cgb-roadway-debris-and-unsecured-loads-how-dangerous-is-it/