A South Carolina Family Trip Gone Bad
A family was traveling on I-95 in South Carolina. They were traveling north through the Lowcountry to carry a trailer full of items to a family member’s home. Their little SUV was loaded with the trailer, mom, dad, and two children. The trailer behind them was a 12-foot enclosed trailer rented from a national company that leases trailers.
Traffic Had Come to a Dead Stop
It was just starting to get dark when the trip turned south. Dad was driving, and he could see an ocean of red lights ahead of him. As he hit his brakes, he noticed that the little SUV was taking a while to slow down, so he applied more braking to be sure he could stop ahead of the sea of red lights and the stopped traffic ahead.
The Truck Driver Was Completely Distracted
Little did Dad know that the driver of the 18-wheeler behind him was completely distracted. Upon pulling the driver’s cell phone information, we discovered that the driver was actually watching videos while driving. When the 18-wheeler driver noticed the stopped traffic ahead, it was too late. To make matters worse, the lights on the family’s rented trailer were malfunctioning. As a result, the truck driver slammed into the back of the trailer, which dislodged the trailer from the hitch and pushed it through the back of the family’s SUV.
Thankfully, nobody was killed. However, Dad suffered serious injuries. Additionally, Mom had some serious psychological troubles in the aftermath of the accident, and one of the children had a herniated disc.
Ultimately, a confidential settlement was reached before a case needed to be filed in South Carolina court. The family was able to move on with their lives.