Three passengers escaped with only non-life threatening injuries after a head-on collision thanks to seatbelts and a child carseat, officials say.
The Burton Fire District and the Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department responded to a head-on collision just after 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25, on Robert Smalls Parkway involving a passenger vehicle and a waste disposal truck. Three occupants, including an infant, suffered non-life threatening injuries thanks to seatbelts.
The head-on collision occurred in Port Royal on Robert Smalls Parkway at the foot of the Broad River Bridge. Firefighters arrived to find a passenger vehicle and a waste disposal truck had collided, and that the passenger vehicle sustained heavy damages. Firefighters and Beaufort County EMS personnel treated three occupants from the passenger vehicle, including an infant, who appeared to have suffered non-life threatening injuries. Beaufort County EMS transported all three to the hospital.
After examining the amount of damage to the passenger vehicle, Burton fire officials said the use of seatbelts, and having the infant properly restrained in a carseat, saved their lives.
The Burton Fire District, South Carolina Highway Patrol, and Battery Creek alumni Kelli Burke, have partnered together for a seatbelt safety awareness program for the public, and have delivered it to new drivers at Battery Creek High School with plans to expand to other schools and venues throughout the area. For more information on their program, please email safetyed@burtonfd.org.
