police

Fatal accident also injures South Carolina police officer

Published on: July 21, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

On July 6, a Dillon city police officer was driving his patrol car in Little Rock on Highway 9 en route to provide backup for a deputy with the Dillon County Sheriff’s Department. At the intersection of Harlees Bridge Road and Highway 9, a Mitsubishi sedan crashed into the patrol car, which then caught fire.

The accident occurred just two minutes after the officer received the call for backup from the Dillon County 911 Communications Center. The call came in at 2:13 a.m. regarding a fight in progress at a local nightclub, and the crash was at 2:15 a.m., according to dispatchers.

Greenville distracted driving ordinance goes into effect April 1

Published on: March 31, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

In terms of statewide laws, only three states have not yet placed restrictions on cell phone use while driving. South Carolina is one of those states. However, on April 1, a distracted driving ordinance will go into effect in the city of Greenville. In particular, the ordinance bans the use of handheld mobile phones while driving.

Initially, city officials considered a narrower ban on texting while driving, but statistics from other cities and states ultimately convinced the City Council to vote unanimously in favor of extending the ban to include all handheld devices. A ban on texting alone would have also posed enforcement difficulties for police.

Icy roads to blame for 817 car crashes reported to SCHP

Published on: January 30, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

While some transplants from northern states may not have had difficulty travelling in the rare snow storm that struck much of South Carolina this week, most drivers were caught off guard by just how dangerous the roadways would be. A lot of drivers quickly discovered that their driving habits on dry pavement were not as effective on icy roadways, which resulted in a tremendous number of incidences across the state, including some here in Spartanburg.

So far, hundreds of accidents have been reported to emergency crews throughout the state. And with roads expected to still be icy throughout the rest of today and perhaps even into tomorrow, it’s hard to tell just how many more auto accidents we could see. At this time, the South Carolina Highway Patrol has responded to more than 1,400 weather-related calls, 817 of which were motor vehicle collisions due to slippery roads. If that number seems alarming, compare it to last year where only 89 accidents were reported over the same period of time.

South Carolina teen dies in Black Friday crash

Published on: December 4, 2013 | by Patrick E. Knie

A fatal accident out of North Carolina this month may have some of our South Carolina readers questioning if complicated civil litigation could play a part in the days to come. According to police, a 19-year-old resident of Clover fell asleep while driving just after having completed a Black Friday shopping trip with four other people. This resulted in a serious accident that injured the four passengers and killed the 19-year-old driver. But while it’s true that this could constitute as negligent behavior on the part of the driver, other factors in the case could point to further negligence on the part of the teen’s passengers as well.

That’s because, according to a trooper with the North Carolina Highway Patrol, one of the passengers told authorities that the teen had mentioned that he was tired just prior to the accident. There is a possibility that the occupants of the car knew this information prior to the teen even getting behind the wheel. It could be argued then that the occupants knew of the danger a fatigued driver presented but proceeded to let the teen drive anyway.