Crash in Lee County, South Carolina Tragically Kills One

LEE COUNTY, SC- Theitem.com writes that a crash involving a semi-truck killed one person this week in Lee County. The incident took place in the late morning on SC 120.*

Reports indicate that a 2013 Freightliner was traveling eastbound when a 2018 Mercedes SUV struck the rear of the truck. The Mercedes then traveled into the median. The man driving the SUV was killed in the crash. Police identified the victim as a 70-year-old man from West Palm Beach, Florida. A passenger was also in the SUV at the time of the collision and sustained injuries. Responders transported that individual to a local hospital.

Reports indicate that all of the people in the vehicles were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into the incident. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) writes that large trucks can weigh over 10,000 pounds. These massive vehicles were involved in 4,136 traffic fatalities in 2018. Because large trucks are so much heavier than other cars on the road, the victims in these incidents tend to be the occupants of smaller vehicles. While sixteen percent of the people killed in large truck crashes were occupants of the trucks, 67 percent were individuals traveling in passenger vehicles. Another fifteen percent of the victims were motorcyclists, pedestrians, or cyclists. 

One factor that can make trucks more dangerous is the long hours these drivers spend behind the wheel. Pursuant to federal regulations, drivers are permitted to spend stretches of up to eleven hours at a time operating trucks. This can lead to fatigue and an increased risk of crashes. 

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 a 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.

Source:

https://www.theitem.com/stories/two-vehicle-wreck-in-lee-county-results-in-1-fatality,346272

https://www.iihs.org/topics/large-trucks