A Look Back Since the Last Entry Reveals a Trend of Driver's Running Off the Road
It has been some time since your Charleston work accident lawyers have posted an entry to the South Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, so the lawyers at Howell and Christmas, LLC would like to use this post as a brief re-cap of accidents and injuries that have happened across the Palmetto State since our last entry. Surprisingly, yet nonetheless tragic, they all concern driver's running off the roadway they were traveling.
At the beginning of this month the driver of an AT&T work van that struck and killed a cyclist on the James Island connector paid a $113 fine for his involvement in the fatal July accident. The driver's payment of the fine allowed him to miss his court date in Charleston Municipal Court. The fine is form of settlement; commonly known as "forfeiting a bond," which also means the driver is not formally admitting guilt for his involvement in the fatal bicycle accident.
The driver was charged by police with improper lane usage, as it was the closest charge applicable under the South Carolina Code of Laws regarding car-versus-bike accidents. Allegedly, the driver of the AT&T van drifted into the breakdown lane on the connector, striking said cyclist from behind, ultimately resulting in the cyclist's untimely and wrongful death. While police have said there was evidence indicating that the van's driver was distracted because of his use of a mobile device, it is not illegal to use a cell phone or text while driving in South Carolina. The driver contends he was not distracted by a phone or other electronic device.
A week ago today, a Summerville man was killed and another person injured after the pickup truck they were in ran off Interstate 26, struck a tree, and overturned. Charleston's Post and Courier reported that the 23-year-old driver of the 2007 Chevy Colorado was pronounced dead at Medical University Hospital after being airlifted from the scene of the serious auto accident. Authorities were unsure if either of the occupants were wearing their seat belts at the time of late-night accident. In a plethora of the posts entered to the South Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, your Charleston car accident lawyers have urged readers to remember that wearing a seat belt is the easiest way to prevent serious injury in the event of an accident. Although that information is unknown in this case, it is safety measure all should keep in mind.
Early this past Sunday morning a Charleston man was arrested in Jasper County after allegedly falling asleep behind the wheel, running off Interstate 95, and ejecting the passenger in his 1999 Ford Expedition. The ejected passenger died of the injuries incurred in the accident. According to reports, authorities had to bring in dogs to track down the driver in the wooded area around the scene of the accident. He has been charged with leaving the scene of a death, driving too fast for conditions, and not having a South Carolina driver's license. According to South Carolina Code of Laws, leaving the scene of an accident where a death occurs is a felony charge, and if convicted, carries a maximum penalty of 25-years in prison and a maximum fine of $25,000.
Most recently, a car full of people, including a small child, riding in an unspecified make of car, ran off the road in Anderson County and hit tree. The collision occurred just after midnight on Sunday and caused the car to burst into flames. The small child, a 26-year-old man, and a woman were killed in the accident. There was a fourth person in the vehicle, a 32-year-old woman who was airlifted from the scene of the accident to Greenville Memorial Hospital, but was later transported to the Augusta Burn Center for specialized treatment to her serious burn injuries.
More Blog Posts: Weekend Wrecks and Tragedies Prompt Discussion of Seat Belts, South Carolina's Rural Roadways: A Major Contributor to the State's Sour Fatal Traffic Accident Statistics, Weekend Tractor Trailer Wreck and General Considerations if You're Ever Involved in an Accident
