Wrecks Involving SC Emergency Vehicles Down in 2019

Dec. 30, 2019
South Carolina fire, EMS and police vehicles were involved in 1,901 crashes last year, but that number has trended down in 2019.

Police cars, fire trucks and ambulances are involved in thousands of wrecks each year in South Carolina, but the numbers are trending down.

“The biggest thing is safety for the officer and the community,” said Lt. Bryan Murphy, a driving instructor with Myrtle Beach police.

In 2018, police, fire and EMS vehicles were involved in 1,901 crashes, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. In 2019, excluding December data, there have been 1,588 collisions involving emergency vehicles. Of those collisions, nine were fatal in 2018 and eight involved deaths in 2019.

Charleston County has the most wrecks of any county in the state with 305 in 2018 and 265 this year. The counties with the most crashes corresponds with South Carolina’s most populated areas.

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The South Carolina Highway Patrol investigates all wrecks involving emergency vehicles and Cpl. Sonny Collins said they investigate just as they would with any other crash. Troopers will determine what happened and if someone was at fault.

It is up to the individual trooper to determine if anyone should be cited for a traffic violation, Collins said.

The state does not track the number of citations issued to agencies because they are issued to the person and not the department, officials said.

Before graduating from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, cadets have extensive driving training in the classroom and on a road course, instructor John McMahan said.

Cadets learn to inspect their vehicle before hitting the road and then learn how to handle obstacles, turns and issues like hydroplaning. Officers have to complete the track in a specific time — and avoid making contact with all 650 orange cones around the course — before graduating, McMahan said.

Even with all the obstacles, cadets still must follow the rules of the road, he said. There are stop signs on the course where trainees must stop and call out the color of a nearby barrel to show they are checking both ways before proceeding.

“They are still subject to the traffic rules and laws,” McMahan said.

The drop in crashes might be due to better training at the academy and by departments, McMahan said. He also noted officers are aware that their body cameras and the public are recording all their actions.

Horry County training

Horry County continues to rank among the counties with the most such crashes compared to other counties, but it saw a dramatic drop in these wreck between 2018 and 2019. In 2018, there were 116 emergency vehicle collisions versus 69 crashes so far in 2019.

Murphy said the drop coincides with a training course local agencies have used for a couple of years. The course — located near the old Hard Rock Music Park — puts police through a host of driving challenges. Police have to navigate small turns, backup long distances and avoid obstacles.

Myrtle Beach police officers have to complete the course once a year, Murphy said.

Most of Myrtle Beach police wrecks are fender-benders or the act of backing into an object, Murphy said. If an officer is in a wreck, the command staff reviews the incident to see if there should be any disciplinary action.

The biggest issue for the public and officers are distractions from all the gadgets in a car, such as the radio and cell phones, Murphy said. The department emphasizes to put those items away when on the road.

“You have to be driving. You have to be paying attention,” Murphy said.

Horry County Fire Rescue Spokesman Tony Casey said firefighters have to complete driver training at the South Carolina Fire Academy and with the county.

While they can train, Casey admitted is it different on public roads where other drivers might not see a changing light or a truck at an intersection. The department always has to be cautious and use lights and siren to try and combat the unknown of other drivers.

“The general public is not predictable,” Casey said.

Many of the wrecks the department has are during backing up of trucks, Casey said.

Fire trucks can be involved in a wreck or property damage because often it’s a critical situation where time matters, Casey said. For example, there could be a crash where fire crews are responding. They might have to drive over the median to get to the victims and something might get clipped.

“We report everything to a T,” he said.

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©2019 The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

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