Thursday, April 2, 2015

THE MOPED DEATHS/INJURIES ON THE RISE: MOPED RIDER KILLED BY A TRACTOR TRAILER ON I-26 OVERPASS WASN’T WEARING HELMET, RAN RED LIGHT. FOOL-PROOF RECIPE FOR TRAGEDY








THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015

BERKELEY COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA

The rider of a moped involved in a collision with an 18-wheeler truck on Jedburg Road at I-26 on Wednesday, April 1 has been identified.

Clifford Jackson, 56, was riding a moped traveling north on Jedburg Road when he collided with an 18-wheeler truck as it exited I-26 onto Jedburg Road.

Jackson was pronounced dead on the scene by Coroner Bill Salisbury with the manner of death ruled accidental and the cause listed as head trauma.

The accident is being investigated by the S.C. Highway Patrol and the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office.

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A moped rider who was not wearing a helmet was killed Wednesday morning on the Jedburg Road Interstate 26 overpass, after reportedly running a red light and hitting a tractor-trailer, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol. 

The victim’s identity will not be released until the family is notified, said Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury. 

Patrol Lance Cpl. Hannah Wimberly said the crash occurred at 11:10 a.m. when a 2000 Freightliner tractor-trailer attempted to turn left onto Jedburg Road after exiting I-26. 

The driver of the tractor-trailer had a green light when the moped rider, driving on Jedburg Road, disregarded a red light and ran up underneath the Freightliner, Wimberly said. 

The moped driver died from injuries suffered in the crash. 

The Jedburg Road exit was closed after the wreck. 

The death comes amid mounting safety concerns over mopeds.
A moped rider was killed and two others hurt in wrecks last month. 

A moped was hit about 4:30 p.m. March 23 between Ashley Hall Road and Wappoo Drive. The rider was hospitalized, but the extent of the injuries was not reported. The cause of the crash was also not reported. 

A box truck hit a moped at Cross County Road near Ashley Phosphate Road on March 19. The 62-year old moped rider died. The truck driver was charged.
A moped rider was hit and seriously hurt on King Street and Courtland Avenue around 9 p.m. March 17 by a driver who kept going. Police have identified no suspects. 

Last year, 33 moped riders were killed in South Carolina, almost three times as many as five years earlier and a 32 percent increase over the 25 riders killed in 2013, according to the Department of Public Safety.