Truck Accident Lawyer News

NEWBERRY COUNTY, SC – A semi driver was injured in a multi vehicle truck accident Tuesday morning, January 11, on a highway in Newberry County, South Carolina. The two tractor trailers lost control on the icy surface of Interstate 26 as it passes through the southern edge of the Sumter National Forest. The truck accident area is in the northwest part of South Carolina, about 106 miles northeast of Augusta, Georgia and about 99 miles southeast of Charlotte, North Carolina.

For several days the southeast section of the US was experiencing uncharacteristic winter weather. Several states that rarely see snow had received up to several inches in some places, coating the road surfaces and making driving hazardous. The truck accident happened after the area went through a storm that brought snow and left dangerous black ice on many of the region’s roads.

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On Tuesday morning two semi trailer trucks were both traveling through northwest South Carolina. They were headed west on Interstate 26, in the direction of the Greenville metro region. Shortly after 10:20 a.m. the tractor trailers had reached Newberry County, passing through the edge of the Sumter National Forest when the truck accident occurred.

According to official reports, as the semi trailer trucks drove side by side on the interstate one of the drivers lost control on the black ice near mile marker 63. The unidentified truck driver skidded out of his traffic lane and crashed into the second tractor trailer. The force of the truck accident propelled one of the semis into the guardrail running alongside the left edge of the interstate. The tractor trailer with the blue cab section slammed through the guardrail and plunged down part of a ravine. The 18 wheeler then flipped over on its side, momentarily trapping the driver inside. The other semi trailer crashed into the median and came to a rest blocking the westbound lanes of traffic.

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The truck accident happened after the morning commuter time when traffic is lighter and no other vehicles or persons were involved in the crash.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Department and local emergency rescue teams responded to the two vehicle truck accident. The driver who was in the overturned semi trailer received unspecified injuries in the crash. He was treated and stabilized at the site and then transported to a local hospital. Authorities did not released the details of his injuries but it is believed they are not life threatening.

The other semi driver was not injured in the truck accident.

Sheriff Deputies had to close down the westbound lanes of I-26 in the section of the highway surrounding the crash site. The department issued an alert to the media warning motorists to avoid the area of the truck accident and find alternate routes. According to officials, they could not set up a detour because the secondary routes were very icy and could not safely handle a heavy traffic load.

Highway crews were brought in to work on removing the wreckage of the crashed semi trailer trucks. Heavy duty tow trucks were used to pull the one tractor trailer up the ravine. It would take most of the afternoon to get both semi trailers off the interstate and towed from the truck accident site.

One of the westbound lanes was finally reopened sometime Tuesday afternoon, but authorities believed that traffic delays would extend into the evening commute. Drivers were still being advised to avoid the area around the truck accident site.
At this time it is believed that the collision was caused by the icy surface, but it is not known if excessive speed was a factor. No charges have been brought against either of the semi drivers and the truck accident remains under investigation.

For more information about South Carolina trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims’ rights, contact truck accident lawyers Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert truck accident advice. Visit our South Carolina truck accident lawyer page for more information about South Carolina truck accidents. Talk to an expert truck accident attorney at 1.800.773.6770.

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