On Hwy. 20 bridge
By Stan Welch
This weekend, it was all hands on deck for a short while, as the West Pelzer Fire Department, along with other rescue units, responded to a car accident on the Highway 20 bridge across the Saluda in Pelzer.
WPFD Chief David Huff said his department responded to a call of a car accident with possible entrapment and automobile fire. Upon arrival, they found the car fully engulfed in flames, but all passengers had escaped the vehicle. The fire was quickly extinguished. All were transported to area hospitals, but witnesses reported seeing someone either jump or fall off the bridge into the water below.
“We were getting confused and conflicting reports from the various witnesses, but we felt like we had to take the reports seriously,” said Huff, “so we contacted the Anderson water rescue team, who are located in downtown Anderson. Because of the distance and potential delay in responding, protocol calls for also contacting the South Greenville Fire Department who are much closer. “
SGFS sent a rescue truck with a small boat, equipped with sonar,which they launched. “We contacted the SCHP trooper who had gone to the hospital to interview the accident victims, and he was able to confirm that there were only the three passengers in the car, and they were all accounted for. Once we had that information, we ended the search and rescue operation and returned to the station,” said Huff.
The names and conditions of the victims have not been released yet.
Medshore and the Pelzer EMS both responded to the scene.
Fiery crash on Hwy. 20 bridge – photo
