Overturned cars, tractor-trailer in flames disrupt Aiken's roads
A series of car crashes throughout the County, a drunken driving arrest and a tractor-trailer engulfed in flames kept public safety crews on their toes for several hours Monday.
Residents living on U.S. Highway 1 near Gun Range Road heard a loud bang around 3 p.m. and rushed outside to see what happened.
Sherri Corley said she saw thick, black smoke and a tractor-trailer in flames.
"It looked like it was going to rain," she said.
Corley and a handful of other neighbors called 911 for help, although they were initially unaware of exactly what happened. The truck driver told police he was headed north on U.S. Highway 1 when he felt his left brake begin to heat up.
"He got out and checked it," said Lt. Bryan Mills, with Aiken Public Safety. When the truck driver went to check on the other brake, the left tire caught fire and burst, witnesses said.
"It started out small, and it didn't take any time for it to catch," Corley said.
The truck's cab was fully engulfed in flames by the time 911 callers said they got in contact with firefighters and the crews made it to the truck. The driver was not injured.
Within moments of that call, Aiken Public Safety got word that a car had flipped over on South Boundary. A 2008 Chevrolet failed to yield the right of way to a 2002 Mitsubishi where South Boundary intersects with Powderhouse Road, causing the Mitsubishi to overturn.
During the police investigation, the officers charged the Mitsubishi driver, Gene Tyler, with driving under the influence.
Tyler failed a field sobriety test and was then taken to the hospital for his injuries, police said.
Moments later, at South Boundary and Orangeburg Street, another wreck occurred.
Charges are pending on that wreck, said a spokesperson for Aiken Public Safety.
Three people were sent to the hospital.
A wreck in Graniteville occurred around the same time.
A vehicle overturned during a single-car crash.
At least one man was transported to the hospital.
Contact Karen Daily at kdaily@aikenstandard.com.