A canine passenger swam safely to shore after apparently jumping off the Broad River Bridge in the aftermath of a mid-bridge car crash Friday afternoon.
The two-car incident occurred around 2:55 p.m. on the bridge’s northbound lanes, near the Beaufort side. According to Burton Fire District Chief Dan Byrne, some witnesses reported seeing the dog jump from the bridge into the frigid water below, probably “spooked” by the crash.
Following the swimming dog off the bridge’s surface, a passerby picked up the driver of one of the vehicles and drove him to the bridge’s south end, Byrne stated. The chief stated that he then entered the water and assisted the dog in returning to dry land.
Byrne stated that the department was unsure how the dog got into the water. Witnesses’ accounts of the crash varied dramatically: some stated the dog jumped off the bridge, some claimed it ran down the bridge’s side, and yet others said they saw the driver jump after the dog.
Photos from the site show a highly damaged white vehicle that appears to have hit the bridge’s right-side barrier. A pickup truck was also hauled from the scene around 3:40 p.m. Friday. Emergency responders evacuated the site shortly before 4 p.m., but traffic jams continued for commuters traveling from Bluffton to Beaufort.
According to Byrne, one individual was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the incident.
According to Chief Clay Emminger of Beaufort Water Search & Rescue, water rescue workers were summoned to the spot Friday afternoon, but the request was canceled on their way there when both the man and the dog arrived safely on shore.
