Pinned driver rescued following overnight crash in Lugoff

Lugoff, S.C. (WOLO) – Crews from Lugoff Fire-Rescue were dispatched to respond to Interstate 20 around 8:15 PM Thursday night just below the Eastbound Rest Area near mile marker 94 for a major vehicle collision involving a pick-up truck and a school bus. A Ford pick-up truck wedged in between some trees and a full-size school bus in the woods beside the interstate. The driver of the pick-up truck was trapped inside the truck which sustained significant body damage from the crash. Rescue crews had to work between two trees and the school bus for several minutes to extricate the driver that was heavily pinned inside the truck. The driver was transported by the LifeNet helicopter to Palmetto Richland Trauma Center. The driver of the school bus was transported to Kershaw Health. The bus was only occupied by the driver. “Our personnel were faced with a very difficult extrication when they arrived due to the extent of the damage to the pick-up truck and the location of the truck between the trees and the bus,” Lugoff Fire Chief Dennis Ray said. Chief Ray said their crews had to work carefully in a very tight area in order to remove the patient from the mangled pick-up without causing further injury. “Our new rescue tool technology really paid off and gave our staff maneuverability in the tight area. I could not ask for a better extrication performed by our staff and I am very pleased with how they handled the incident. Our thoughts are with the driver they rescued for a hopeful recovery,” Chief Ray said. One lane of Interstate 20 was opened around 9:30 PM and Lugoff crews were clear the scene around 10:30 Thursday night. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.