Father and son identified as 2 killed in SC pileup on I-95

YEMASSEE — A Florida father and son killed in a 14-car pileup on Interstate 95 in the S.C. Lowcountry have been identified.

William Britt, 68, and his son Patrick Britt, 30, both of Jacksonville, died at the scene on July 22, according to the Colleton County coroner.

Investigators are still working to determine details of the deadly multi-vehicle crash on heavily traveled I-95 that killed the men and injured 26 others.

The pileup began with a high-speed crash involving numerous vehicles just after 4:30 p.m. on a bridge over the Combahee River, slightly north of Yemassee around mile marker 40. A heavy thunderstorm left drivers with little visibility, according to witness statements to Colleton County Fire-Rescue.

A second collision on the bridge ensnared six tractor-trailers and another six cars or trucks. Preliminary reports by emergency responders estimate 14 vehicles were involved in the two wrecks.

Colleton County Fire-Rescue described a chaotic scene with multiple victims trapped in vehicles, several vehicles piled atop one another, and semi hauling sheets of plate glass that shattered across the road, leaving first responders to wade through shards two feet deep in areas.

Juan Rasado was driving with his son and nephew, ages 10 and 12, and four dogs when he braked to avoid the wreck in front of him.

When he looked in his rearview mirror, he saw a semi that didn’t appear to be slowing down. Rasado swerved to avoid getting rear-ended, hitting the guardrail as the truck slammed into the wreckage ahead of him.

He called his wife, Barbara Cruz, and told her there had been a wreck, but he and the boys were fine. He left his vehicle to help crash victims and to try to keep other vehicles from hitting his car.

At some point in the rain and chaos, Rasado fell from the bridge to the Combahee River below, breaking his back in multiple places. On July 25, he was stable and undergoing a spinal fusion surgery, Cruz said.

“He saved my boys’ life,” Cruz said. “The fact he went through something traumatic and got out to help — he’s our hero.”

Southbound lanes of I-95 were closed for 11 hours until the wreckage could be removed and debris cleared from the highway. The interstate reopened at 3 a.m. July 23.

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