A rear-end collision early Thursday morning, February 25, left one person dead in Darlington, SC.
South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) says they responded to the accident on Interstate 20 near mile marker 133 shortly after 1 AM. A 2005 Pontiac Vibe and a 2020 Jeep Utility were both driving east on I-20 when the Jeep hit the rear of the Pontiac. This collision sent both vehicles off the right side of the road.
The Pontiac then crashed into a tree. Sadly the driver, 59-year-old Debra McFatter, was killed as a result of injuries from the crash, according to the SCHP.
More than a quarter of all car accidents in South Carolina involve rear-end collisions. Although people often think of head-on collisions when they picture fatal accidents, rear-end accidents can also lead to serious injury or death, especially when the car in front is propelled into another vehicle or another solid object like a tree or guardrail.
In most cases, the rear driver is considered to be at fault as these accidents are most often caused by following too closely. In other words, if the driver in front of you stops for any reason, you should have maintained enough distance to be able to stop in time. Safe following distance depends on speed—the faster you’re going, the more distance you should allow. At 35-45 miles per hour, it’s recommended you maintain at least a 3-second following distance.
If you know a surviving family member of a person who was injured or killed in an accident, please encourage them to contact our firm immediately. The consultation is completely free, with no out-of-pocket cost to the family to hire us.
For over 25 years the attorneys at Auger & Auger have been dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals and families that have suffered injuries or lost loved ones due to the negligence of others. We have years of experience guiding and helping our clients every step of the way to receive compensation for aspects such as medical bills, funeral costs, and other monetary losses.
Editorial Note: At A&A we are always looking to improve the quality and safety and are saddened by the outcome of many tragic accidents across the Carolinas. The purpose of this news blog is to write about cases relevant to our industry and raise awareness about injury cases so that victims of similar incidents can educate themselves on theories of liability, the law, and how personal injury cases typically work. This article is created using publicly available information and is a secondary source. If you find any information here to be inaccurate, please notify us at vip@www.augerlaw.com, and we will make the appropriate adjustments.