Horry County, SC — November 21, 2022, one person died when an SUV and a flatbed truck collided on State Highway 66 near Conway in Horry County.

Authorities say the incident happened shortly before 11:00 a.m. on Highway 66 at Bumpy Road, close to Highway 905. Preliminary investigation suggests only that a GMC Yukon allegedly rear-ended a flatbed commercial truck under unknown circumstances.

The Yukon's passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. It's unclear if anyone else was injured.

The investigation is ongoing. No further information is currently available.

Commentary on Horry County Rear-End Collision on Hwy 66

While the specifics of this wreck aren't clear yet, folks tend to immediately blame anyone that hits the back of another vehicle. In many cases investigators learn those drivers were on their phone, going too fast, or following too closely, but as always there are other possible explanations to consider before any conclusions are drawn.

For instance, over the years I've encountered many cases where someone rear-ended a truck due to the truck driver's actions. In one, a big rig pulled onto a dark highway without its lights on directly into the victim's path. In another, a truck broke down across a road's travel lanes due to neglected repairs and the driver didn't put out cones or flares. A friend of the firm was even in a serious Florida wreck when a dump truck cut them off at a construction zone--during a heavy rainstorm.

I'm not saying I know more than anyone else about what happened in South Carolina, nor am I pointing fingers at the truck driver there. I'm only saying it's not right to immediately blame someone just because they were driving the rear vehicle in a crash. The law is nuanced enough to weigh all a crash's factors, which is why it's so important to investigate carefully and get the full story. Will that happen here?