Kingstree, SC — August 8, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 4:55 p.m. on Sassafras Loop near Moccasin Road.

Authorities said a Yamaha Raptor ATV was heading east on Sassafras when it crashed into a parked 2022 Peterbilt semi-truck.

The driver, whose name has not been made public yet, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Williamsburg County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When you hear that an ATV collided with a parked semi-truck, your first thought is probably, “How does something like that happen?” That’s the right question to start with, but it’s one the public record doesn’t yet answer. We don’t know whether the truck was legally parked or sitting in a place it shouldn’t have been. We also don’t know what kind of visibility conditions were present — daylight, shadows, obstructions — or whether the ATV driver had any chance to see and avoid the truck.

When a crash involves a parked commercial vehicle, a good investigation needs to look at several things. Was the Peterbilt pulled completely off the roadway? Were its hazard lights or reflective markers in use, as federal regulations require for stopped trucks? If it was stopped because of a breakdown, was that handled according to company policy? Those aren’t details you can guess at; they’re in the evidence. Photographs from the scene, measurements and the truck’s engine control module (ECM) data can all help reconstruct the truck’s position and status at the time of the crash.

The ATV’s role also raises questions. Depending on its speed and path, the impact could suggest either a sudden obstruction or a gradual approach to something that was hard to see. Witness accounts, any nearby surveillance or dash camera footage and even cell phone records could help piece together the moments before the collision.

In my experience, facts like these don’t just clarify how a crash occurred; they determine who should answer for it. It’s easy to assume responsibility lies entirely with the ATV driver or entirely with the truck, but that’s not how careful investigations work. The right questions, backed by hard evidence, are what keep the wrong parties from being blamed, or the right ones from escaping accountability.

Key Takeaways:

• We don’t yet know if the semi-truck was legally parked or if proper hazard markers were in place.
• Scene evidence, ECM data and lighting conditions are crucial to understanding the crash.
• Video, witness accounts and cell phone records could clarify both drivers’ actions.
• Responsibility depends on documented facts, not assumptions.
• A thorough investigation protects against misplaced blame.