County worker dies in freak accident

Ledger photo / TIM GULLA The trash truck being driven by Isiah Blakney Jr. left the road on Overbrook Drive and crashed into a tree. A county employee died and two others were taken to local hospitals following a freakish accident on Overbrook Drive involving a Cherokee County garbage truck and a City of Gaffney dump truck.

As the two vehicles passed each other headed in opposite directions Tuesday at about 7:50 a.m., a tree limb hanging out of the uncovered bed of the city truck struck the county vehicle, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said the tree limb entered the open window of the county garbage truck, striking the driver, Isiah Blakney Jr., in the head. Blakney then lost control of the garbage truck, causing it to flip over and crash into a large tree on the side of the road.

Blakney, 59, was killed in the crash and had to be extricated from the mangled cab. Fowler said he ordered an autopsy to assist in the probe.

Dozens of emergency workers, county and city officials, police and investigators converged on the scene shortly after the crash. Members of the South Carolina Highway Patrol's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) spent most of the morning and early afternoon scouring the crash scene, marking roadway gouges and tire marks with paint, taking measurements and photographs.

BLAKNEY According to Lance Cpl. Jeff Gaskin of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, two other people in the county garbage truck escaped serious injury.

Middle seat passenger Chad Burris, 27, of Gaffney, was airlifted to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center from an emergency landing site set up at B.D. Lee Elementary School. Gaskin said Burris was treated and released.

Right seat passenger Marvin Watkins, 34, of Gaffney, was transported by ambulance to Upstate Carolina Medical Center, where he also was treated and released.

All three men in the garbage truck were wearing seat belts.

The driver of the City of Gaffney dump truck was identified as Linbergh Hamilton Jr., 36, of Gaffney. Gaskin said neither Hamilton nor passenger Rafael Hopper, 31, also of Gaffney, were wearing seat belts.

"There are no charges in this case at this time, however the collision still is under investigation by the Highway Patrol's MAIT team," Gaskin said.

Gaffney City Administrator James Taylor said, "It's a tragedy and our utmost sympathy goes out to the family of the deceased and we also wish for the injured parties a full and speedy recovery. We are awaiting the official report from the South Carolina Highway Patrol and will have no comment until we review their report."

Gary Parris, the county's solid waste department supervisor, declined comment. Assistant County Administrator Holland Belue, did not return calls for comment.

Also investigating the death is the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration, confirmed spokeswoman Lesia Kudelka. While she couldn't talk about OSHA's investigation directly, she said such probes are conducted in these types of accidents and that they normally take about six weeks to complete. OSHA, she said, looks for any violations of worker safety laws that may have contributed to a death.

(Staff Writer Larry Hilliard contributed to this report.)