Road closed for investigation after fatal crash Wednesday in Hardeeville, police say
One person died Wednesday morning after a car struck a ditch following a three-car crash in Hardeeville, officials said.
The crash took place at 7:24 a.m. on U.S. 17 near Hardeeville Industrial Park Road, according to S.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Nick Pye. The cars involved were a 2007 Nissan Sedan, a 2004 Ford F550 fire truck, and a 2005 Ford pickup truck. The fire truck involved was a Hardeeville Fire Department squad car, according to Assistant Chief Joey Rowell, a spokesperson for the department.
Both the fire truck and the Nissan were headed north on Highway 17 while the pickup truck was driving south. The fire truck and the Nissan “collided,” causing the fire truck to hit the pickup, Pye said. Both the fire truck and the Nissan veered off the road. The driver of the Nissan was transported to a local hospital where they later died from their injuries.
Carla Dara, 55, of Ridgeland was identified as the driver of the Nissan, according to Jasper County Coroner Willie P. Aiken III. Dara died at the hospital around 9:30 a.m., Aiken said. An autopsy has not been scheduled yet but will take place at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Neither the passenger in the fire truck nor the other two drivers were injured, Pye said. As of Wednesday afternoon, the road was still closed while the investigation continued, according to an alert from the city of Hardeeville.
At least seven people, including a 53-year-old man from Yemassee, have been killed on Jasper County roads in 2022, according to the Department of Public Safety’s latest data.
The S.C. Highway Patrol’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team is investigating the crash.
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