Local Radar

Veteran killed in crash Sunday afternoon
web posted November 14, 2005
EdgefieldDaily.com photo
BETTIS ACADEMY – A tragic accident claimed the life of a Desert Storm Veteran Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Bettis Academy Road and Highway 25. Emergency crews from the County Line and Merriwether Fire Departments responded to the crash which had at least two people entrapped in the wreckage.

According to a claimed witness the silver Toyota Camery LT ran the stop sign on Bettis Academy Road and broadsided the Ford Explorer traveling South on Highway 25. The force of the impact sent the Explorer off the southbound side of the road and it flipped into the ditch trapping the occupants inside. The Toyota, occupied by two women, sustained substantial damage to the front end and airbags contributed to the relatively minor injuries suffered by the two women. Another claimed witness said the Explorer ran the stop sign. However the Explorer was struck on the driver's side and the impact to the Toyota was from left to right on the front end.

The occupants of the Explorer, which also had airbags, suffered serious injuries. One of the passengers had to be revived several times as First Responders and EMS workers worked feverously to establish an airway and insert an IV to give fluids. His condition was critical and unresponsive. He was transported to the MCG Trauma Unit. The driver of the car was trapped and was pronounced dead on the scene by Edgefield County Coroner Thurmond Burnett.
                                               EdgefieldDaily.com photo
Firemen draped tarps around the scene to keep onlookers from viewing the deceased man in the vehicle as crews worked to free the man's body. The truck had to be righted before the man could be removed from the vehicle. The collision tied up traffic for several hours as South Carolina Highway Patrolmen investigated the crash. All survivors were transported by ambulance to the Trauma Unit for treatment. Their condition was not available at this writing.

The intersection has been the scene of several fatalities over the last few years.  Local resident Saundra Curry has pleaded with state and local officials to install a traffic signal in order to prevent tragedies like this one. “We need a red light,” Ms. Curry said observing the Desert Storm Veteran tag on the front of the truck and then commented on how the man survived a war only to die at the intersection she has warned officials about for a year.

EdgefieldDaily.com photo
The identity of the man killed in the accident is not being released pending notification of relatives. The man was said to be on active duty with the Army National Guard. EdgefieldDaily.com will have updates as more information is released by the SC Highway Patrol on Monday afternoon. Many on the scene grieved that a veteran died on Veteran’s Day Weekend.    
 

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