Wreck Snarls Traffic on Savannah Highway

A wreck Wednesday afternoon snarled rush hour traffic on Savannah Highway.

At least four fire engines and more than half dozen police cars responded to the two-vehicle crash that left one SUV on its side in the front yard of a home on Savannah Highway.

A minivan also involved in the crash was found in the yard of another home about 200 yards from the where the SUV had come to rest.

According to Charleston Police officers on scene the SUV struck the van, which had been parked in front of the home where the SUV came to rest and knocked it down the road. The van which was struck on the rear passenger side rolled out onto Savannah highway and continued along the highway for about 200 feet before heading back off the roadway into another front yard.

"I heard it happen, I was in the backyard" a resident of a neighboring home said. "It sounded like metal scraping along the road."

The owner of the van, Tim Haley of Environmental Clean Air Servicing LLC., was inside a home working when the crash occurred.

"I was inside just finishing up and getting ready to come out when I heard a loud noise," Haley said. I came out and saw this vehicle on its side."

"I noticed my van wasn't there anymore," he added.

Haley had parked with enough room between his van and the roadway that he could open his driver's door without it swiniging into the roadway.

He said several people had already rushed up to the SUV to help the driver when he exited the house, and once they had checked on the driver, who was in bad shape Haley said, they pointed down the street and told him his van had ended up about five houses down the road.

"They had to cut the roof off to get the woman out of the car," Haley said.

Haley said he had about $10,000 worth of equipment in the van at the time, but he was more worried about the condition of the driver of the SUV who was taken away in an ambulance.

The crash happened at 651 Savannah Highway and Haley's van ended up between 623 and 627 Savannah Highway.

Patch will continue to update this story.