There has been yet another serious accident at a well-known intersection in Hollywood, this one involving an SUV and a tractor-trailer. Residents and commuters are all too familiar with the intersection of the Savannah Highway (US Highway 17) and Davison Road (State Road S10-317), between the Rantowles Creek and Wallace Creek bridges near Hollywood.
Preliminary numbers from South Carolina state officials indicate that there have been over 15 wrecks at or near the intersection within the last few years alone. Residents living in the area have been raising the alarm about the dangers, saying traffic on the Savannah Highway often disregard the light, making merging from Davison Road onto the four-lane highway especially dangerous. This week, the South Carolina Department of Transportation told local media they will be reviewing the intersection to see if improvements are necessary.
Recent SUV Crash in the Area
According to reports, the latest wreck occurred when a southbound 18-wheeler traveling around 55 mph ran the red light, crashing into an SUV that was turning left from Davison Road. The driver of the SUV, a local firefighter who serves as an Assistant Fire Chief for the St. Johns Fire Department, was transported to MUSC with life-threatening injuries and was initially placed on a ventilator. Thankfully, he has shown encouraging signs of recovery and was listed in fair condition. Nonetheless, he and his family face a long road to recovery and an uncertain.
While grateful to see this gentleman’s progress, it is still so sad to see yet another life completely upended by an 18-wheeler collision. It is something I have seen time and time again in my nearly 30-year legal career. Tractor-trailers are 80,000 lbs machines often barreling at or above highway speeds. It takes an incredible amount of skill and maintenance to keep them operating safely. However, downtime often means lost money. This tremendous amount of pressure to get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible often results in corners getting cut and safety taking a backseat to profits.
When you have worked on trucking accident cases for as long as I have, you learn a few things about how trucking companies operate. I’ve seen first-hand the lengths trucking companies will go to deny their liability, obfuscate the process, and twist themselves into knots to avoid having to pay for the severe damage they cause. In an industry driven by profit, trucking companies are more interested in taking care of themselves than in taking care of the victims. Anyone unfamiliar with the law or inexperienced with trucking cases may find themselves victimized twice in the process.
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