South Carolina woman killed by alleged drunk driver

The South Carolina Highway Patrol took a 35-year-old man into custody on March 7 after he was involved in a truck and motorcycle accident that claimed the life of a Gaston woman. The man was charged with felony drunk driving after responding police officers determined that he had been under the influence at the time of the crash. Police say that the investigation into the incident continues.

The truck and motorcycle crash took place at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Highway 321 in Lexington County. According to a SCHP report, the man’s pickup truck struck two motorcycles in the vicinity of the Woodtrail Drive intersection north of Gaston. Police say that the two motorcycles were stopped at the time of the collision.

Responding emergency services personnel pronounced a 51-year-old woman dead at the scene. The woman had been a passenger on one of the motorcycles, and she died after the force of the impact propelled the motorcycle into the rear of a pickup truck that had also been stopped at the intersection. Paramedics concluded that the woman suffered catastrophic injuries after being ejected from the motorcycle. There was no indication at the time of the report of whether or not any other people suffered injuries in the accident or what factors led police to determine that the truck driver had been drinking.

Thousands of motorcycle riders and passengers are killed on the nation’s roads each year by drunk, distracted or reckless drivers. These negligent drivers sometimes face severe criminal penalties. However, careless or impaired drivers may also face civil actions, and an injured victim can seek compensation for the resulting lost income and medical expenses through the filing of a personal injury lawsuit.

Source: WIS, “Man charged with felony DUI for crash that killed woman on motorcycle”, Meaghan Norman, March 10, 2015