Lexington County, SC (October 15, 2018) – There was a fatal ending to a Monday morning police chase when a stolen car evading Lexington County Deputies crashed at around 11:20 Am on US-321 near the South Carolina State Farmers Market.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, a 2004 Volkswagen convertible crashed into a Ford delivery van belonging to the Harvest Hope food bank as it attempted to turn left into the farmers market. This caused the Volkswagen to go careening off the side of the roadway where it overturned after smashing into a guardrail. Neither the driver, who was thrown through the windshield, nor the passenger who had to be extricated, were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash. Both driver and passengers were killed as a result. The Harvest Hope van driver was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Details about the stolen Volkswagen, its occupants, and how the chase began have not yet been released.
South Carolina Personal Injury
Although wearing a seatbelt has been a national law since 1983, there are still some people who do not buckle up when they get into a vehicle. Approximately 56% of vehicle-related deaths are due to the fact that the driver or the passenger was not wearing their seatbelt! Yes, those are current numbers! That is not data from 1983 as one might hope. Seatbelts save lives was the chosen slogan for a very good reason. It’s true. Conversely, according to data gathered from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration roughly 15,000 lives are saved each year by seatbelts. Seatbelts prevent drivers and passengers both from becoming projectiles in the event of a collision. Ejection through the rear or even side windows is not an uncommon occurrence in unbuckled occupants. The survival rate of a backseat passenger increases by 44% if the passenger is properly restrained with both a lap and an across-the-should harness. If the passenger is in a van or an SUV the survival rate goes up by 73%. An average of 1.3 million people die in automobile related accidents each and every single year. Seat belts are safety devices that are required to be available for every single driver and passenger in every vehicle that is allowed to drive out on public roads and they save thousands of lives each year. Please buckle up!
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident and you were found to not be using your seatbelt, the outcome of an otherwise clear case can get a little murky since wearing your seatbelt at all times is the law. If you need help navigating a personal injury case in which the use or disuse of seatbelts is being disputed, call Nye Law Group and speak with an experienced lawyer who is qualified to handle this type of claim.
Get your free consultation with us today at 912-200-5230
Note: A variety of outsides sources including news bulletins and police reports were used to create these posts and report on the injuries involved. Due to this, the details of these accidents have not been independently confirmed by our team and writing staff. In the event that false information is included in the story, please contact us immediately with the post’s title and the incorrect information, and we will correct the content.
Disclaimer: We at Nye Law Group pride ourselves as members of our local community and strive to improve the overall safety and wellbeing of everyone in our state. Our deepest condolences go out to those injured in these accidents, and we hope that by promoting an awareness of these dangers, our community can take the steps necessary to avoid them. These posts are not a solicitation for business, and the information provided should not be mistaken as medical or legal advice.