Cherokee County, SC — July 7, 2025, Bobby Peak lost his life due to a truck accident sometime in the evening along Pacolet Highway.

According to authorities, 61-year-old Bobby Peak was a passenger in the back seta of a Lexus that was heading westbound on Pacolet Highway in the vicinity of Gaffney when the accident took place.

A truck was apparently attempting a left turn into a driveway. Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a collision took place between the Lexus and the truck. Peak reportedly sustained fatal injuries due to the wreck. No other injuries have been reported at this time. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not currently available. Investigations remain underway.

Commentary

When a truck attempts a left turn across traffic and someone in the oncoming vehicle doesn't survive, the immediate question is why was that turn made when it was? Left-turn crashes almost always boil down to a timing decision—specifically, whether the turning driver misjudged the speed or distance of oncoming traffic, or failed to see it at all.

In this case, the truck was reportedly turning into a driveway, which adds another layer of complexity. Unlike turning at a marked intersection, turning into a private drive often involves navigating across a lane with no signals, signage, or designated turn lane. That puts the burden squarely on the truck driver to yield until the path is completely clear. If the Lexus had the right of way—which initial details suggest—it shouldn’t have had to slow or stop at all.

The critical legal issue will be whether the truck driver had a reasonable opportunity to see the Lexus and make a safe decision. Investigators should already be looking at visibility conditions—daylight, weather, road grade—and whether anything obstructed the driver’s view. In cases I’ve handled, even something as simple as a roadside mailbox or a tree limb has hidden oncoming vehicles until it was too late. But that’s not an excuse; it’s a condition that must be accounted for before attempting the turn.

The layout of the driveway and road is also important. Was there a designated turn lane? Was traffic backing up behind the truck? Was the driver under pressure to complete the turn quickly? These questions matter because they speak to whether the turn was made cautiously or under stress—something that’s not always captured in the crash report but can come out in driver statements or dash cam footage.

Because the victim was seated in the rear of the Lexus, this also raises questions about the angle of the impact. A side-impact crash to the rear passenger area often results when a turning vehicle miscalculates the gap and crosses too late, making contact with the far side of the oncoming vehicle. That’s not just a visibility issue—it’s a judgment issue, and a serious one.

Key Takeaways

• The core issue is whether the truck driver misjudged the speed or distance of oncoming traffic while attempting a left turn into a driveway.
• Even non-intersection turns require full yielding responsibility; any miscalculation can have fatal consequences.
• Visibility conditions, road layout, and potential obstructions should all be evaluated to understand the driver's decision-making.
• Dash cam footage, eyewitness accounts, and physical damage patterns will help confirm the timing and angle of the collision.
• A full reconstruction is necessary to determine whether the turn was made safely—or if it was a critical error in judgment.