Personal Injury Law

Explosion at Orangeburg, South Carolina Trucking Company Takes the Lives of Two Employees

By Michael Jeffcoat, Esq.

Two employees were killed and a third injured in an April 22 fueling mishap at Rutland Timber and Trucking, a company near Orangeburg, South Carolina. The employees were using a homemade fuel pump powered by the truck?s battery to move diesel fuel from a storage tank to a truck - when a massive explosion was touched off. The Orangeburg County Sheriff?s Department and SLED (the State Law Enforcement Division) investigators have since determined that the diesel fuel contained an amount of gasoline. This cleared up one part of the investigation - diesel fuel alone is generally considered incapable of exploding. Still unanswered is how the gasoline came to be mixed with the diesel fuel. Thanks to the Orangeburg Times and Democrat for reporting. Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones in this tragedy.

Full post as published by Truck Accident Lawyer Blog on April 28, 2009 (boomark / email).