FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – South Carolina Highway Patrol reports an 18-wheeler crash in Florence County killed the driver Monday morning.
West Florence Fire officials first reported “occupants” had to be extricated from the vehicle, but Cpl. Sonny Collins with South Carolina Highway Patrol says the driver was the only person in the truck.
Emergency crews also reported diesel spilled onto I-95 in Florence County after the big rig crashed off I-95. The Department of Health and Environmental Control was notified of the spill.
West Florence Fire Department Captain Anthony Fox says crews were called to the crash around 5:30 a.m. Monday after the tractor-trailer drove off of Interstate 95 and hit a tree. The crash happened in the southbound lanes near mile marker 164, according to Capt. Fox.
South Carolina Highway Patrol confirms the driver was killed in the crash, but the reason for the wreck remains under investigation. It is unknown if the victim was wearing a seatbelt, troopers say.
Firefighters had to use the “jaws of life” to free the driver. Capt. Fox first reported “occupants of the 18-wheeler were entrapped and in serious medical condition,” but troopers later confirmed only one person was in the vehicle.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol and Florence County Emergency Medical Services are helping assist. SCHP is investigating the cause of the crash. Crews ask drivers to avoid the area if possible, as lane closures are reported.
The Florence County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 27-year-old Antoine Dramou of Harrisburg. Pennsylvania.
The truck was carrying U.S. mail.