Witness says man alert after log smashes through windshield

A man ducked just as his car ran into a log sticking out the back of a semi-truck, sending the timber straight through his windshield up against his headrest, said a witness.

Gail Cleveland said she saw and heard the collision, around 8:25 a.m. on Tuesday at the intersection of S.C. 28 Bypass (Pearman Dairy Road) and S.C. 29.

The truck driver, who was stopped at a red light, nearly drove away because he didn't know what had happened, Cleveland said.

"I told him someone ran into him," she said. "He was all tore up. It took him a minute to come back; he was scared of what he'd see."

The driver managed to escape with minimal injuries, a cut to his head, Cleveland said.

The driver, 23-year-old Justin Earl Douglas of Donalds, was charged with driving too fast for conditions and his injuries are not expected to be life threatening, said South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Hovis. Douglas was wearing a seat belt, Hovis said.

Cleveland said she talked Douglas shortly after the wreck and he told her he had just gotten off of his third-shift job. Douglas was alert, she said, and called his boss to say he wouldn't be in to work later Tuesday, Cleveland said.

He said he had seen the truck but not the log sticking well off the back and the sun was in his eyes, Cleveland said.

The protruding log did have a red flag, Hovis said.

Trucks with items extending out the back are required to have the items clearly marked, such as with a red flag, Hovis said.

The truck driver, 41-year-old Michael Reed of Liberty, was wearing a seat belt and was not injured, Hovis said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Witness says man alert after log smashes through windshield."