Car versus tractor trailer sends teen to trauma center from Springdale

Springdale, SC (Paul Kirby) – A passenger vehicle and a tractor-trailer truck collided at Platt Springs and Ermine Roads last night right at the back entrance to the Columbia airport. The collision trapped a teen in the wreckage for some time as firefighters worked to free the young man from the crumpled mess.

The accident was reported at about 9:11 p.m., bringing police officers from Springdale, Lexington County EMS personnel, and firefighters from several stations with heavy extrication tools to free the trapped victim. The police who arrived first confirmed the report of entrapment and said that when the truck struck the smaller vehicle it had knocked it into an embankment. EMS crews assessed the injured teen while the fire crews worked to free him. Eventually, the team was able to get the patient out of the car and transported him to the trauma center at Palmetto Richland hospital. Family friends have said that the young man had surgery last night and has a long road to recovery in front of him.

The cause of the accident was still under investigation last night. Springdale PD was the lead law enforcement agency on the scene and it was unclear if they would request the assistance of the SC State Transport Police. That agency has expertise in the investigation of accidents and incidents that involve heavy commercial vehicles.