Fiery Truck Accident in Work Zone on I-95 Claims the Lives of a South Carolina Family

In May 2017, a fiery crash on I-95 near the border between North Carolina and South Carolina claimed the lives of five people; two were children. The chain reaction crash involved three tractor trailers and three passenger vehicles. A story on WITN.com reports that the crash occurred near exit 10 in Robeson County when a gasoline tanker truck came upon traffic that had slowed down because of a work zone and crashed into the back of a Dodge pick-up truck, which was pushed into the back of a Ford Explorer, which then crashed into a Ford Escape. The tanker truck continued down the highway and crashed into the back of another tractor trailer, which caused the gasoline that tanker was carrying to ignite. The second tractor trailer was pushed into the back of another tractor trailer.

A family of four – a mother, father and two young daughters – and the driver of the tanker truck that stated the chain reaction crash, died in the accident. The fiery crash caused the median and shoulders of the interstate to catch fire. I-95 was closed for 12 hours while the crash was investigated and the area cleaned up.

As to the cause of the crash, a story on WNCN.com reported that the driver of the first tanker truck failed to slow down as he approached the traffic that had slowed for work crews who were repainting the lines on the highway.

Newly increased penalties for South Carolina work zone traffic violations

After the tragic death of two South Carolina Department of Transportation workers, Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill into law increasing the penalty for negligent driving in work zones. The Federal Highway Administration reports that there were approximately 96,626 crashes in work zones, which was up 7.8% over the previous year. The FHWA reports that in 2015 on average a work zone accident occurred once every 5.4 minutes, about 70 work zone crashes occurred each day that resulted in at least one injury, and each week 12 work zone crashes occurred that resulted in at least one fatality.

Workzonesafety.org reports that there were two work zone fatalities in South Carolina in 2015 and 4 in 2016.

You might be considered guilty of endangering a road or highway worker if you do the following:

• Drive through a work zone in a lane that is not marked for use by vehicles
• Fail to obey traffic control devices in work zones, except in cases of emergency, if it is necessary to avoid hitting an obstacle, or when attempting to protect the health and safety of another person.

Speeding in a work zone can receive a fine of up to $1,000 with a $500 minimum.

If a road worker is hit and injured, the fine may increase to $2000 with a $1000 minimum. The fine for “great bodily injury” of a road worker is $2000 minimum and $5000 maximum.

Speeding in a work zone can get you two points on your license, four points if a worker is hit and injured, 6 points if a worker suffers “great bodily injury.”

If you have been injured in a truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation. You are invited to call the experienced South Carolina truck accident attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC today at 803-327-7800 or complete our contact form today for a free consultation.