From staff reports
The Burton Fire District, Beaufort County EMS and Sheriff’s Office, responded to two vehicle collisions Thursday, May 23, with one wreck causing critical injuries to a trapped occupant.
The first wreck was reported just after 1:30 p.m., at the intersection of Boundary Street and Parris Island Gateway. Burton firefighters arrived to find a vehicle collision between two SUVs, one of which was towing a U-Haul trailer that overturned. No injuries were reported; however, there were minor traffic delays.
The second collision occurred just after 3:30 p.m. at Joe Frazier Road and Via Venado. Burton firefighters arrived to a collision between two passenger vehicles with both suffering heavy damages, and one with a critically injured driver trapped inside.
Burton firefighters worked to free the trapped driver, an adult female, while Beaufort County EMTs and paramedics climbed inside the wreck to stabilize her injuries. It took firefighters 15 minutes to free the driver due to the extensive damage to the vehicle which made the rescue complex, according to Burton fire officials. EMS and firefighters transported the patient to a landing zone on Cherokee Farms Road where she was flown to Savannah Memorial Hospital. The other driver, an adult male, appeared to have sustained potentially serious injuries and was transported by EMS to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.
The area around the Joe Frazier Road and Via Venado intersection was closed for longer than an hour while emergency crews worked; in addition, Cherokee Farms Road was closed for approximately 30 minutes while the driver was prepared and loaded for transport on the medical helicopter.
South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating.
