The Community Times Dispatch

An early morning sighting of the wreckage of a single vehicle collision on a rural Colleton road revealed the tragic death of a local man and woman, as well as, a fight to survive by one man. Law enforcement and emergency personnel were alerted to the accident at 5:29 a.m. Tuesday morning; however, the accident is believed to have happened between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Monday evening.Reports indicate that a white 2002 Chevrolet Pick-up failed to negotiate a curve near the 800 block of Langdale Road, it then went of the road, striking a mailbox, several trees and into a ditch.

According to Colleton Coroner Richard Harvey, Jonathan Wade Cox, 21, of 76 Dove Lane in Walterboro and Gina Britt, 23, of Walterboro both died of head injuries, at around 11:00 p.m. on Monday, November 24, 2008. Britt’s brother (name not verified) was also a passenger in the vehicle; however, he was the only survivor of the collision. None of the three adult occupants were wearing seatbelts, at the time of the collision.

Colleton Fire-Rescue Director Barry McRoy said that the surviving male victim was partially ejected from the vehicle, but the lower portion of his body was trapped in the wreckage. Firefighter-Paramedics used hydraulic rescue tools to free the man. He received emergency medical treatment for his injuries and hypothermia during the extrication process and at the scene. He was transported by Fire-Rescue to a nearby field where the Meducare helicopter landed. He received further treatment prior to being flown to the Medical University Trauma Center in Charleston.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.