A truck driver in South Carolina was killed on Sunday morning after swerving to avoid a car, whose driver fell asleep at the wheel.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the driver of a Toyota Camry fell asleep at the wheel on Interstate 85 and crashed into the median before returning to the road and coming to a full stop.
A Peterbilt box truck driven by 60-year-old Gary A Stephens was behind the car and swerved to avoid hitting it, but was unable to stop in time and hit the rear of the Toyota. The impact caused the truck to lose control and crash into a tree head-on. The crash instantly killed the truck driver.
Stephen’s 14-year-old dog was also in the truck, but survived the crash, according to Fox-Carolina. His family initially asked for the 14-year-old dog to be cremated and laid to rest with its owner, because they weren’t able to take care of it. However a rescue worker offered to adopt the dog and the family agreed.
The driver of the Toyota Camry, Phi Tran, told officers she was tired and didn’t remember what happened. As of Sunday evening, Tran did not face any charges in connection with the crash. The incident is still being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.