One Killed in Tragic Crash on SC 46 in Jasper County, South Carolina (SC)
JASPER COUNTY, SC- Blufftontoday.com writes that a crash in Bluffton County killed one person this week. The incident occurred close to Hardeeville in the mid-morning. According to reports, the crash took place when a westbound Toyota Camry and an eastbound Nissan Maxima collided head-on.*
An 82-year-old woman was killed in the impact. The driver in the other car suffered severe injuries as well and was transported to the Memorial Health University Medical Center. The condition of that individual is not currently available.
The cause of the crash is not yet known. The drivers were both using their seatbelts at the time of the collision.
Few crash types are as fear-inducing as head-on collisions. The forces at play in these wrecks are so severe that they often lead to fatal injuries. Studies show that head-on impacts carry a high risk of death, even when drivers are at modest speeds. According to research, at 43 miles per hour, the risk of fatal injuries is high.
While many drivers are confident in their vehicle’s ability to protect them in crashes, it is important to note that in the case of frontal collisions, crash safety tests only occur at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. If a car adequately protects occupants in head-on impacts at 40 miles per hour, with all occupants buckled up, that vehicle will likely receive a five-star frontal crash rating.
The reason that tests are not performed at higher speeds is that the forces on the human body at such speeds are immense. Manufacturers would love to make cars that could protect occupants at speeds above 40 miles per hour, but doing so has proven challenging.
While the limitations of cars are known, the roads are not designed with these facts in mind. Many roadways still have speed limits above 40 miles per hour, but do nothing to prevent drivers from drifting into oncoming traffic.
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.
Sources:
https://www.blufftontoday.com/news/20200713/bluffton-woman-dies-in-jasper-county-car-accident
https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/how-to-survive-a-head-on-collision-slow-down-to-below-43mph/