Police Officer Killed in Tragic Crash on Highway 17 in Charleston County, South Carolina (SC)

CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC- Live5news.com writes that a crash involving a drunk driver led to the death of a police deputy in South Carolina. The incident has been under investigation since the early morning crash took place this spring.*

According to investigators, the driver who caused the tragic collision was traveling at more than two times the speed limit in the moments leading up to the impact. The deputy was traveling northbound in a Chevrolet Caprice when the other driver, who was operating a northbound Hyundai Genesis, opted to make a U-turn. The Hyundai collided with the driver's side of the Chevrolet. 

On the stretch of road in question, the speed limit is 45 miles per hour. Seconds prior to impact, the Hyundai appears to have bee traveling at 93 miles per hour. Based on blood alcohol tests, the man in the Hyundai was well above the legal limit with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15. According to driving records, the motorist had a previous DUI conviction and multiple citations for speeding.

The State of South Carolina ranks in the top ten in terms of having a high number drunk driving accidents. 

Alcohol is a leading cause of deadly crashes. Drivers with BACs of .15 or higher create very serious risks to everyone on the road. In fact, the risk of being in a crash increases when a driver has a BAC of .05 percent alcohol per volume, and then rises even faster at .08 percent. A BAC of .15 is associated with an extremely high risk of collisions, injuries, and death. 

Most states, including South Carolina, have a legal limit of .08 percent alcohol per volume. In Utah, it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .05 percent or higher. So far, that state is the only one to have reduced the legal limit. 

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.live5news.com/2020/08/19/investigators-speed-alcohol-factors-crash-that-killed-charleston-county-deputy/

https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/alcohol#:~:text=impaired%20crashes%20occur-,Overview,more%20rapidly%20after%200.08%20percent.&text=Drivers%20with%20very%20high%20BACs,crash%20or%20getting%20severely%20injured.

https://www.wistv.com/2019/11/20/carolinas-fall-into-top-list-worst-states-drunk-driving/