Car seat saves child in deadly SC crash

ELGIN, S.C. — A moment of distracted driving may have killed a young mother from Elgin but her infant daughter survived, Richland County coroner Gary Watts said Sunday.

Brittany Powell, 171 Elgin Road, 23, died at the scene a half mile from her home in a head-on collision Friday afternoon with a pickup truck, according to Watts and the S.C. Highway Patrol.

“She didn’t have on a seat belt, but her six-month-old daughter was in a child restraint seat in the back,” Watts said. “The car seat definitely saved that child.”

The daughter was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Watts said it couldn’t be determined whether Powell removed her seat belt to try to do something with her child or if she had been driving with it off.

The pickup truck driver told officers on the scene that in the seconds before the crash, he saw no one driving the car, Watts said.

The driver of the pickup, a 2000 Ford, told officers that he saw Powell’s oncoming 2007 Hyundi cross over the center land into his lane and he steered his pickup into her lane, but suddenly her car veered back into her lane and the two vehicles collided, a patrol spokesman said.

The pickup driver, Melvin Campbell of Elgin, 58, was unhurt. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time, the patrol said.

The incident is under investigation. The spokesman did not know how fast the two vehicles were going when they collided.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/02/04/4592293/car-seat-saves-child-in-deadly.html

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

Widow of worker killed in York Co. plant accident says response was inadequate

CATAWBA — The widow of the man killed at an accident at Resolute Forest Products plant is expected to allege today that response to the incident was inadequate, her attorney says.

Jessica Storey, wife of Samir Storey, has scheduled a 11 a.m. news conference in Charlotte today to discuss the accident.

Samir Storey, 39, died Jan. 22 when he was trapped in a “fume” tank at the Catawba plant, formerly owned by Bowater.

Samir, an employee of Trades International, was cleaning the 10-foot by 40-tank, which is used to store odorless chemical fumes. The fumes are then burned in the plant’s power boilers.

Attorney Christopher Chestnut said Jessica Storey learned of the early-morning accident from a cousin.

Jessica Storey drove 45 minutes from her Monroe, N.C., home to the Catawba plant. Chestnut said she called 911 on the way to the plant.

According to eyewitness accounts, Chestnut said, the men were cleaning the tank when “gas poured into the tank.” Chestnut said two people were pulled to safety but Samir Storey was trapped.

On the day of the accident, emergency officials speculated that while three employees were working on the tank, some kind of chemical might have leaked in, said Cotton Howell, director of York County Emergency Management.

When Jessica Storey arrived a the plant, she was denied entry, Chestnut said, and scuffled with plant security, suffering bruises on her arms. According to a York County Sheriff’s report, deputies were called to the scene because family members had “bypassed” the security gate.

When Jessica Storey reached the accident site, she took photos of the area on her cell phone, Chestnut said. A Resolute Forest Products employee grabbed the phone and deleted the photos, Chestnut said.

Debbie Johnston, a spokeswoman for Resolute Forest Products, said the company is cooperating with state OSHA and local officials investigating the accident. A cause of the accident has not been determined yet, she said.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/29/4577685/widow-of-resolute-forest-worker.html

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

Police: Rock Hill bar owner, customer arrested after fight

ROCK HILL — The co-owner of Rock Hill’s Rock City Tavern and a bar patron were both arrested Sunday and charged with disorderly conduct after police say an argument about a man escalated into an all-out brawl in the parking lot.Sometime before 2:30 a.m., police went to the bar on Celanese Road and found several people in the parking lot. One of them, 35-year-old Wendy Michelle Hickel, the bar’s co-owner, was shouting profanities at Tammy Lynn Sessa, also 35, according to a Rock Hill Police report. Both women, police say, were drunk. An officer handcuffed Hickel and put her in the back of a patrol car when she ignored a warning about using vulgarities, the report states. Sessa told police that she was trying to leave the bar in her SUV when several bar patrons began hitting the windows of her 2006 Ford Explorer. Eventually, she said Hickel grabbed her hair, pulled her out of the SUV and threw her onto the ground, the report states. Hand prints and other marks were visible on the car’s windows and there was dirt on Sessa’s clothes.Hickel said Sessa and a 55-year-old man had been inside the bar insulting her 16-year-old son, the report states. Hickel said Sessa cussed at her son and threatened him because he saw Sessa hit a red Toyota with her car. Hickel said she was defending her son but never approached Sessa’s car, although police could see dirt on her clothes, as well.Both women, the report states, appeared “disheveled” and then said that the argument revolved around the man, who allegedly instigated their fight. Because of their conflicting stories, police took Hickel and Sessa to jail and issued them citations for fighting.Sessa and Hickel were both released from jail Sunday on $400 bonds each.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/28/4574374/police-rock-hill-bar-owner-customer.html#storylink=cpy

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

20 crashes reported in York County

The S.C. Highway Patrol is responding to nearly two dozen car accidents across York County.

“We have 20 crashes all going at this time,” Lance Corporal Billy Elder said just before noon.

It’s not clear how many of the wrecks were caused by the weather, Elder said, but responders are affected by the freezing rain and icy temperatures. Elder was unsure about the seriousness of any of the crashes — some with injuries — but no fatalities have been reported.

The Department of Transportation has been notified to put sand down at several crash sites.

Three of the accidents happened near schools as families picked up students for early dismissal.

A forecast of freezing rain and icy roads caused all area schools to close early.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/25/4569811/20-crashes-reported-in-york-county.html

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

2 killed in SC train collisions

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Investigators are probing the deaths of two people killed in separate train collisions in Spartanburg County.

Coroner Rusty Clevenger says 18-year-old Ryan Andrew Greenwood of Lyman was pronounced dead after he was struck by a train in the Greer area around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The train engineer told investigators that he tried to stop and blew his horn when he saw someone on the tracks, but the person didn't get out of the way.

On Thursday morning, a driver died after his vehicle was hit by a train near Wellford. Clevenger says Richard Darrell West Sr. of Duncan was pronounced dead at the scene after he drove up an embankment and was hit by a passing train.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/24/4566383/2-killed-in-spartanburg-county.html

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

Rock Hill Woman, Dog attacked by pit bill while walking in neighborhood

ROCK HILL — A Rock Hill woman suffered bites, cuts, scratches and a broken finger after she tried to fend off a pit bull that attacked her dog on Monday, police say.

Police responding to Trellis Drive, off South Herlong Avenue in Rock Hill, around 6 p.m. found a 45-year-old woman lying on the road with cuts on her hands and a bloodied lip, according to a Rock Hill Police report. On the ground next to her was a dead pit bull.

Police spoke with a neighbor, 63, who said he shot the dog with a revolver when he saw the it attacking the woman. The dog’s owner, a 59-year-old woman, said she was walking her pit bull on a leash when it saw the other woman’s dog and attacked it. Both women tried to separate the animals.

The victim said she kicked and hit the pit bull in the head, adding that the dog wasn’t on a leash but ran out of its owner’s home when it saw her walking her pet.

The dog wouldn’t stop its assault even when the neighbor hit it several times with a metal object before he finally shot it, the report states. Officials with the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control took the dog for rabies testing, while the dog’s owner, who had bites on her right arm, was cited for violating the dog ordinance.

Police say the victim, admitted to Piedmont Medical Center, also suffered injuries to her jaw and would require a Tetanus shot. Her dog suffered bite injuries and was taken to a veterinarian.

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

CATAWBA — One person is dead, and another injured, Tuesday morning in an accident at the former AbitibiBowater plant in Catawba.

Investigators believe that two employees climbed into a decommissioned tank outside of the plant's main production area to perform maintenance at about 1:30 a.m., said Cotton Howell, director of York County Emergency Management.

Officials speculate that while the workers were in the tank, some type of chemical might have leaked in, Howell said. One of the workers was removed from the tank and is being treated for injuries.

The York County Coroner declared the other person dead. The victim's identity was not immediately available Tuesday morning.

The plant, which employs more than 700 people and is now called Resolute Forest Products, was fully operational, and no evacuations were ordered after the accident, Howell said. No other injuries were reported.

York County Emergency Management, as well as the plant's own accident investigation team, will probe the incident, a process that Howell warned might slowly unfold.

"The investigation is still in its infancy," he said.

In May, a ruptured pipe sprayed sodium hydroxide, a cooking chemical dubbed "white liquor," on four employees in the plant's pulping area. The workers, all of whom suffered serious burns, were flown to hospitals and burn centers for treatment.

In 2000, an explosion at the plant killed two contract welders who were connecting pipes to an outdoor tank when it exploded. Several other workers were also injured. That blast was reported as the worst accident in the plant’s then-40-year history.

Check back for more details on this developing story.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/22/4558874/1-killed-1-hurt-in-accident-at.html

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

Watch out for black ice on York Co. roads; 6 crashes on I-77

YORK COUNTY — York County's first winter storm of the season turned out to be more wet than white, but black ice is looming as a problem this morning.

Runoff from heavy rain will continue across upstate South Carolina through Friday morning, and temperatures will remain near or below freezing.

Cold temperatures will freeze moisture on untreated roads, bridges and other paved surfaces. Drivers should expect to encounter patches of black ice.

In Rock Hill, numerous accidents happened early Friday morning on Celanese Road at the on and off ramps for Interstate 77.

Road conditions were expected to improve an hour or two after sunrise.

By 8:30 a.m., the ice should be gone with only "wet spots" left on roads, said Cotton Howell, director of York County Office of Emergency Management.

At least six crashes were reported on Interstate 77 in York County between 6- 7 a.m., according to the SC Highway Patrol. None were fatal.

The wrecks were "nothing major," Howell said, but still "more than it should have been."

Weather conditions could have been worse Friday morning, he said, but accidents still happen on wet roads because drivers don't adjust their habits.

"They just get comfortable," he said. "They ride (the same road) 300 days a year and it's a dry road. They just forget when they get out there on a day like today, to down a little bit.

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

SC man dies in crash with tractor-trailer

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A Richland County man has died from injuries suffered in a collision with a tractor-trailer Monday morning.

The 57-year-old Eastover man, whose identity has not been released by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, died around 1:18 p.m. at Palmetto Health Richland hospital after being injured in the wreck on Bluff Road around 11:50 a.m., SC Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Judd Jones said.

The man was driving a Ford west when he swerved left to avoid traffic, Jones said. He crossed the center line and his vehicle was struck in the right rear by a Kenworth tractor trailer driven by Newberry’s David Harmon, 66. Harmon was wearing a seat belt and not injured.

The Ford struck a ditch after the collision. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was injured and taken to the hospital, where he later died.

The wreck remains under investigation, Jones said.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/15/4544077/sc-man-dies-in-crash-with-tractor.html#storylink=cpy

GAFFNEY, S.C. — Authorities say the mother of an 8-year-old girl is charged in connection with the wreck that killed her daughter.

Cherokee County coroner Dennis Fowler says Anna Rhinehart was killed in the single-vehicle wreck Friday evening. Her 27-year-old mother, Samantha Rhinehart, is charged with felony driving under the influence.

Fowler says the child was sitting in the lap of a front seat passenger and was ejected when the vehicle hit a tree.

Authorities say seven people were in the crew cab truck when the wreck occurred shortly before 8 p.m. Friday.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/12/4538603/sc-mother-charged-in-wreck-that.html#storylink=cpy

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.

Fort Mill man fled accident, abandoned 2 injured children

ROCK HILL A Fort Mill driver told police he was scared and didn’t know what to do Friday when he rear-ended a pickup near downtown Rock Hill and then fled on foot – leaving behind two injured young children.

Richard Michael Kordelski, 28, is charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under suspension, according to Rock Hill Police documents.

At about 4 p.m. Friday, officers went to the 600 block of Charlotte Avenue after receiving calls about an accident, the report states. They spoke with the 65-year-old driver of a Nissan Frontier pickup, which had been rear-ended by a Ford Escort parked in the middle of the road with a damaged hood.

The pickup driver told police the Escort’s driver, identified as Kordelski, left the scene on foot. Several of Kordelski’s friends arrived at the scene and told officers that two boys, ages 5 and 8, were in the car at the time of the wreck and were “abandoned” by Kordelski when he left, according to the report.

The 5-year-old, who had been sitting in the back seat, had blood on his face, the report states, and the 8-year-old sitting in the front seat complained of mild head pain after he was struck by an airbag. Police say Kordelski and the children live at the same address.

Police called Kordelski and convinced him to return to the accident site, the report states. Kordelski told police he was scared and didn’t know what to do after the accident, so he ran away.

Police took Kordelski to the Rock Hill jail, where they found that he had a 2008 conviction for driving under suspension.

A city magistrate set a $15,000 bond Saturday before he was transferred to the York County Detention Center and later released.

Shaw Law Firm focuses its representation on individuals and families who have been Injured. We represent clients involved in Automobile accidents, Tractor-Trailer accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Hit and Run accidents, Drivers with no insurance accidents, Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents. We also handle claims associated with Dog Bites/Attacks, Injuries on the Job, Workers’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Prescription Errors and all Injuries associated with Children.

Shaw Law Firm has a Former Prosecutor on Staff who is dedicated to representing families and individuals going through difficult situations. Divorces and persons accused of Crimes, including alcohol and drug related charges are the focus.

We serve York County, Lancaster County and Chester County and all cities within those counties including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Indian Land, Catawba, Lancaster, Chester, Great Falls and Richburg. We also serve Charlotte and the entire surrounding region.