“Deadman’s Curve” in Chester Claims Lives in Deadly 18- Wheeler Accident

A head-on crash between a logging truck and a van in early March killed both drivers and left the roadway littered with flaming wreckage. The full scale of the destruction is difficult to comprehend; both vehicles were traveling at or above the 55mph speed limit when they collided. First responders encountered an accident scene strewn with debris; the accident ripped the axles from the logging truck and left the van engulfed in flames.

According to The Herald, “The van crossed over the center line in the middle of the sweeping curve and crashed into the truck just before 8 a.m., authorities said. Both Ed Darby of Chester County Emergency Management and Andy Martin, West Chester Volunteer Fire Department chief, said the wreck scene on S.C. 9 about 10 miles west of Chester was as ‘horrible’ as any they had ever seen.”

The extent of the damage was so bad that heavy equipment was required to clean the debris from the highway. Logs, tools and pieces of the vehicles were spread across the road, and the impact knocked the fully loaded logging truck into ditch on the side of the highway. It took emergency crews almost three hours to extract the driver of the logging truck from the wreckage; the driver of the van had been thrown from his vehicle during the impact. Both men had been killed instantly.

The victims were later identified as Jacky David Blalock Jr., 51, of Lancaster and Clyde Mike Davis, 62, of Clover. Davis was the father of Lt. Tanner Davis of the Clover Police Department, though his son was thankfully off-duty when the accident happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims; we grieve with you for your sudden loss.

Was this accident preventable?

Sadly, the location of the crash didn’t come by its nickname accidently. The sweeping curve on SC 9 is part of a major logging route into Chester. Fire Chief Andy Martin told The Herald, “There have been so many deaths out here that as long as I have been here people have called it Deadman’s Curve.”

We’ve written in the past about the dangers of bad infrastructure, but this accident brings the message home on a personal level. Two family men are dead because a well-known issue has gone uncorrected, and their families will remain affected for the rest of their lives. This is not an issue we can afford to ignore.

While we can’t go out and fix our states roads, we can fight for your rights when you or a loved one has been injured or killed. The experienced South Carolina truck accident attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, can evaluate the details of your case and help get you the compensation you deserve. Call us at 803-327-7800 or contact us today for a free consultation.