Drunk Driver Hits School Bus And SUV In Moncks Corner

Drunk Driver Hits School Bus And SUV In Moncks Corner

In a Post and Courier article read by the Charleston drunk driving accident attorneys this morning, it was reported that the South Carolina Highway Patrol determined that the driver who struck two vehicles in Moncks Corner on Monday was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accidents.

The accidents occurred mid-afternoon on Monday, around 2:30 p.m., on Old Whitesville Road. The 24-year-old man who struck the two vehicles was driving a pickup truck when he tried to pass a line of vehicles on the two-lane road. When he turned to get into the line of vehicles he collided with a sport utility vehicle and, scarily, a school bus. Thank heavens none of the four Whitesville Elementary School students were injured in the accident. The young students were transferred to another school bus and taken to their homes. Fortunately, the driver of the sport utility vehicle also did not sustain any serious injuries.

The drunk driver of the pickup was flown to Medical University Hospital after the collision forced his truck off the road and flip. The driver has been charged with driving under the influence and will be taken to Hill-Finklea Detention Center once released from the hospital, according to Highway Patrol.

According to court records, the 24-year-old driver was out on bail awaiting trial on an unrelated charge and was wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor at the time of drunk driving accident. In March the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office charged the man with attempted murder, criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, and malicious injury to property. As in all pending charges in the U.S., the workers’ compensation lawyers at Howell Law would like to remind readers that the man mentioned in this entry is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Considering this incident involved a school bus, following is a summary of the circumstances in which a driver must stop for a school bus under the South Carolina Code of Laws.

Section 56-5-2770 of the South Carolina Code of Laws has been amended to no longer require drivers on a multi-lane highway (two lanes on each side running in opposite directions) to stop for a school bus that is on the opposite side of the road.

Motorists must always stop when they are traveling behind a bus with flashing amber or red lights. When they are approaching a stopped school bus with flashing red lights from the opposite direction, drivers must stop if they are on a two-lane road. If motorists are on a four-lane (or more) highway or private road and meet a stopped school bus, they do not have to stop. However, drivers should slow down and proceed with caution. After stopping for a stopped school bus, drivers must not proceed until the bus resumes motion and the flashing red lights have been turned off. The fine for passing a stopped school bus can be as much as $1,000 and up to 30 days in jail for a first offense.