RSOE EDIS: USA - Vehicle Accident - 2010.03.01

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

2010-03-01 04:26:23 - Vehicle Accident - USA EDIS CODE: VI-20100301-25158-USA Date & Time: 2010-03-01 04:26:23 [UTC] Area: USA, State of South Carolina, , Bluffton Number of Injured person(s): 13 Damage level: Moderate (Level 2) Not confirmed information! Description: Thirteen people were taken to Hilton Head Hospital this morning after an SUV and a Palmetto Breeze bus wrecked at the intersection of William Hilton Parkway and Beach City Road, said Beaufort County sheriff’s Capt. Toby McSwain. Eleven of the passengers on the bus, and the driver and a passenger in a Nissan Xterra SUV were transported by five ambulances, McSwain said. None of the injuries was life-threatening, he said. The cause of the wreck, which occurred at about 7:10 a.m., has not been determined. Johieda Fister, a spokesperson for the Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue Division, said first-responders had to cut open the bus to get the passengers out. An SUV passenger also was trapped and had to be extracted, she said. The SUV had blocked the doors to the bus, preventing people from exiting. Fister said the call for the accident came in at 7:13 a.m. and by 8:23 a.m., all of the injured had been transported to the hospital. Glenda Lamont, a spokeswoman for First Transit, Palmetto Breeze’s management company, said the bus was badly damaged, but she did know the extent of the damages. The bus seats 44 people. Rochelle Ferguson, Palmetto Breeze’s executive director, said she did not know where the bus was headed or what caused the crash. “Safety is our No. 1 priority,” Ferguson said and referred questions to Lamont. The Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation, and First Transit will also conduct an internal investigation, Lamont said. “We want to understand why this happened,” Lamont said. “We’re thankful that none of the injuries were life-threatening.” Posted:2010-03-01 04:26:23 [UTC] Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu