1967 — June 23, station wagon/10 runs stop sign, hits asphalt tanker truck, Hardeeville, SC–10

— 10 Panama City News, FL. “Car, Truck Crash Fatal to 10 Persons.” 6-24-1967, p. 12.
— 10 The Register, Danville, VA. “10 Are Killed in Collision in S. Carolina.” 6-24-1967, p. 2.

Narrative Information

June 24: “Hardeeville, S.C. (UPI) — A station wagon apparently ran a stop sign at a crossroads near here Friday and collided with an asphalt-laden truck killing 10 persons instantly. The victims included seven members of one family who were on their way to visit relatives.

“All of the dead were occupants of the station wagon. The only survivor of the bloody collision was the truck driver. The victims, all of the Savannah, Ga., area were identified by the Jasper County, S.C., sheriff’s office as William J. Lee and his wife, Essie Smith Lee, their five children, Ophica, 3: Steve 6: Lucille, 4: Barbara, 12; and’ Elizabeth, 13; Helen Berrian, 14; Morris Bennett, 23; and Charles Richards, 27, listed as the owner of the station wagon.

“Officers said the station wagon apparently pulled into the path of the truck from a side road. The accident happened at the intersection of U. S. 17 and South Carolina 170, about a mile south of Hardeeville and 30 miles north of Savannah.

“The station wagon was demolished by the impact which slammed it into a service station gas pump. Two of the victims were thrown out, and the bodies of the others had to be removed from the wreckage with crowbars.

“The driver of the truck, listed as George Simmons of Ridgeland, S. C., was only slightly injured and was released from a hospital after treatment for shock.” (Panama City News, FL. “Car, Truck Crash Fatal to 10 Persons.” 6-24-1967, p. 12.)

June 24: “Hardeeville, S.C. (AP) — A station wagon and an asphalt-filled tanker truck collided early Friday, killing 10 persons, seven of them in one family. Dead are Mr. and Mrs. William J. Lee, five of their children and three other persons.

“The only survivor of the Lee family, 17-year-old Woodrow, decided not to go with the family at the last minute and got out of the station wagon before they left Savannah. Neighbors said a friend was taking them to visit Mrs. Lee’s father, who was critically ill in South Carolina.

“The owner of the station wagon was identified as Charles Richard. He was one of the victims. Others were Morris Bennett, 23, and Helen Barrien, 14, all friends of the Lee family, plus these children – Ophiea, 8; Steve, 6; Lucille, 4; Barbara, 12, and Elizabeth, 13. Neighbors said Lee was a part-time laborer and Richard had agreed to drive the family to see Mrs. Lee’s father.

“The crash happened just north of the Georgia line where S.S. 170 crosses U.S. 17, about four miles from Savannah. George Simmons Jr. of Hardeeville, driver of the truck, said the station wagon slammed into the side of the heavily laden truck.

“The smashup occurred shortly before dawn, and residents of the rural community said they were awakened by the found of grinding metal on the highway pavement as the heavier vehicle dragged the station wagon, which had lost its wheels. It wasn’t until two hours later that all of the bodies had been removed. The wreckage piled up in a service station, knocking over a gasoline pump, after skidding along the highway for nearly 100 yards.” (The Register, Danville, VA. “10 Are Killed in Collision in S. Carolina.” 6-24-1967, p. 2.)

Sources

Panama City News, FL. “Car, Truck Crash Fatal to 10 Persons.” 6-24-1967, p. 12. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=35279930

The Register, Danville, VA. “10 Are Killed in Collision in S. Carolina.” 6-24-1967, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=93954500