Former Richburg firefighter injured in collision with tractor-trailer on S.C. 9

A Chester man was injured Friday afternoon after colliding with a tractor-trailer truck on S.C. 9 near Richburg, emergency officials said.

The driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe was trapped inside his vehicle after rear-ending a tractor-trailer just after noon, said Eddie Murphy, director of Chester County’s emergency management office.

Emergency crews called for three medical helicopters and planned to land the choppers on the roadway, but bad weather kept the helicopter pilots from taking off to respond to the accident.

The injured driver is a former firefighter with the Richburg Volunteer Fire Department, Murphy said. The Richburg fire crew was one of several agencies that responded to the accident.

Traffic was stopped on both sides of S.C. 9, Murphy said.

An ambulance transported the SUV driver to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. He was later airlifted to a trauma center in Charlotte.

Chester County Emergency Medical Services, the Lando Fire Department, the S.C. Highway Patrol, and Chester’s rescue squad also responded to help extract the driver from his SUV, Murphy said.

The wreck kept emergency crews on edge, he said, because many of the workers know the injured driver.

Murphy did not release the man’s name but said he’s in good condition and is expected to recover from the accident.

The collision happened near the Truck Driver Institute on S.C. 9, also known as Lancaster Highway. Murphy said the tractor-trailer had a sign denoting the driver was a student in training.

Officials did not indicate anyone would be charged in the accident.

This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Former Richburg firefighter injured in collision with tractor-trailer on S.C. 9."