3 men, pregnant teen killed after I-95 crashBy Andy Paras (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Monday, December 3, 2007
Three men and a teenage girl who was five months pregnant all died in a fiery crash Sunday afternoon on Interstate 95 outside of Walterboro. The four Florida residents were headed south in a 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck at 4 p.m. when it veered into the median about a mile south of Exit 53 and struck a large pine tree head-on, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. A tractor-trailer driver pulled the 16-year-old girl out of the truck through a passenger-side window moments before it erupted in flames, killing the three men trapped inside, said Barry McRoy, director of Colleton County Fire and Rescue. The girl and her unborn baby were pronounced dead from multiple injuries nearly four hours later after she had been airlifted to a Columbia hospital, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey said. Harvey said all four have been tentatively identified, but he declined to release their names until they can be confirmed. The men's identities will have to be confirmed through DNA, he said. McRoy said two of the men, including the driver, were 21 years old. The third man was 19. The pickup was hauling a small utility trailer. No skidmarks were apparent, and the tree was dashboard-deep into the truck. The tractor-trailer driver, identified as Gordon Marsh from Maryland, told authorities that at least one of the male passengers was still alive and yelling for help when he tried to open the doors of the pickup. After he pulled the girl through the window, he attempted to use a chain to pull one of the doors off the pickup, but the fire was too intense, McRoy said. Colleton County firefighters and paramedics arrived minutes later and found the vehicle and woods ablaze. They extinguished the flames in about 10 minutes, McRoy said. Highway Patrol Cpl. Paul Brouthers said the cause of the wreck is still under investigation by the patrol's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team. That section of interstate was closed for about four hours. Reach Andy Paras at 745-5891 or aparas@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 19 comment(s)
Posted by Hey_U_Guys on December 3, 2007 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How tragic.
Posted by nty05 on December 3, 2007 at 7:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I just hope they didn't suffer too much. My condolences to their families.
Posted by RTC on December 3, 2007 at 8:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is too horrible.
It always seems like more accidents and deaths occur near or during the holiday season.
I feel really bad for the truck driver, as it seems that he did all that he could to help these young people.
Posted by reality_woman on December 3, 2007 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How tragic for this to have happened. May God Bless their families and I too hope that they did not suffer. Just s sad.........
Posted by afternoondelight on December 3, 2007 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
T R A G I C !!!!!!!
Posted by captivated on December 3, 2007 at 9:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My deepest condolences to the families of these poor souls. A special thanks to Mr. Gordon Marsh for his heroic efforts. The world needs more like you.
Posted by juniemoon1957 on December 3, 2007 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ahh...so very, very sad. My sincere condolences to the families that lost loved ones in this horrific accident. My prayers are with you. Mr. Gordon Marsh, thank-you so much for trying to help. May God be with you as well.
Posted by SomeTruthPlease on December 3, 2007 at 12:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with everyone who has commended Mr. Gordon Marsh on his efforts...you're very right..the world does need more individuals like him. It is horrible knowing what he experienced. He's in my prayers, and I'm hoping that the emotional trauma he endured won't remain with him forever. A true hero.
Posted by Girleygirl on December 3, 2007 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OMG this is awful. Mr Marsh tried all that he could and I hope he won't blame hisself for trying to save them.
Posted by MDW on December 3, 2007 at 3:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What an awful thing to happen to these youngsters! I wish their families well.
Mr. Marsh, this is going to haunt you for a long, long, time. Just know that you did your best and I wish there were more people like you out there.
Posted by palmettogirl on December 3, 2007 at 6:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is so sad, my prayers are for the family. I know it's under investigation, but why did they mention no skid marks were apparent. I hope they find out what happened.
Posted by Foxtrot on December 3, 2007 at 8:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
A few hours later, an eighteen wheeler wrecked at the 60 mile marker, burning the driver to death. Then Monday afternoon, another fatal wreck occured. A total of six people died in a 24hr period, in Colleton County. Pay attention and don't drive tired, so this doesn't happen to you!
Posted by beespencer on December 3, 2007 at 9:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In the past several years, that area of I-95(between St. George and Rigdeland) seem to have a high number of fatal accidents.
Posted by pmlgff on December 4, 2007 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Dear Mr Marsh, you will be in our prayers for your heroic efforts to save Kali and the others in this terrible accident. You went beyond the pale and we will not forget it. Thank you for the effort and I hope you will be getting counselling to deal with the undeserved guilt.
Posted by heather107 on December 4, 2007 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is similar to most of the comments but my condolences go out to the deceased's families. Also, to Mr. Gordon Marsh, you are a HERO!
Posted by PennsylvaniaNative on December 6, 2007 at 1:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think this article is completely out of line. I am engaged to the cousin of the driver. I can not give out much information as it is not my place. But we know he did not fall asleep. To associate a horrific accident with such an article with NO proof to it is just an attempt to bring attention back to your original article.
I agree Mr. Marsh should be commended. There are not many who would just do that for someone they don't know. But you sir, Mr. Paras, hide behind your shield of the freedom of the press to bolster you own gains. So I also will use the freedom of speech in this forum to slander you. A good journalist finds proof before making assumptions or writing a story.
They gather facts. The only fact you have is it HAPPENED to be on the same road and there HAPPENED to be no skid marks. Are you a certified investigator? Did you wait for the police reports? Mind you they themselves do not even know the cause. Myself, my wife to be and the family of the driver are asking for a retraction and an apology.
This is the least you could do based off the FACTS you did not provide to associate this with your prior article.
Posted by preachlove on December 6, 2007 at 11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My condolences go out to all of the families. Pennsylvanianative - I didn't see anything about anyone falling asleep. I know you're feeling a loss at this time and I hope the pain doesn't last too long, but in defense of Mr. Paras, a lot of facts were mentioned in this article. It appears he spoke to and received information from the Colletin County Director of Fire and Rescue and the Colletin County Coroner. It also mentions authorities.
Posted by Shelly on December 12, 2007 at 11:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am Kali's mother. I want to thank you all for your prayers and concerns. Kali was a beautiful young woman with a very bright future before her. To all that tried to help, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU.
Posted by TonyJamesDeRitis on January 2, 2008 at 4:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am Kali's Dad, and Kali's mom (comment above) is absolutely correct about our daughter, and then some. Shelly is to be credited highly for simply being Kali's mom, and being a great mom at that.
And again, thanks to those who gave their all trying to save Kali and the 3 young men that were still in the vehicle.
Thanks Gordy, eternally.
Thanks Andy for all info from a distance.
And May GOD Bless All Involved And Thank You !!!!