Staff Writer

A Chester man was airlifted to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center Wednesday after he wrecked his tanker truck on the Herbert Road, spilling a load of turkey feed.

Tommy Lee Stroud, 38, of 110 Harris St. was trapped in his rig after the wreck, which occurred around 10:35 a.m. 18 miles east of Union, Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Ron Johnson said.

Stroud's injuries were not serious. A hospital spokeswoman said this morning he was treated in the emergency room and released to go home.

Stroud was traveling south on the Herbert Road in a 1999 International tractor-trailer loaded with 80,000 pounds of turkey feed. Johnson said it is estimated Stroud was traveling 65 to 70 mph in a 55 mph zone.

“He was driving too fast for conditions on that secondary road and ran off the left side of the roadway as he tried to negotiate a slight curve,” Johnson said.

The load of feed shifted, the truck went off the road, down a slight embankment, struck a tree and overturned. The cab was demolished. Johnson said Stroud was not wearing a seat belt.

Union County EMS, the Union County Fire and Rescue Squad, Carlisle and Santuck fire departments, sheriff's deputies and the highway patrol responded to the scene. Chief Mark Wade of the Santuck Fire Department said Stroud was thrown into the passenger side of the cab and his leg and foot were trapped between the seat and the dash.

“We had to stabilize the truck and use rams to move the seat out of the way to extricate him,” Wade said. “It definitely was a dangerous situation. If he had been trapped any more than he was it could have taken hours to free the victim. Some small trees had to be cut so we could bring him out the passenger side window.”

Union County Emergency Preparedness director Stephen Jones said officials with Circle S Farms in Richburg, for whom Stroud was driving, sent another tanker truck to the scene to try and recover as much of the feed as they could. Jones said Stroud was carrying a mixture of corn and soybeans.

“The turkey and deer down there are going to be happy for a few days,” Jones said.

After Stroud wrecked, he used his cell phone to call for help. Union County 911 Dispatcher Bucky Ward remained on the phone with Stroud until help arrived.

“He was lucky he got a signal,” Jones said. “Some with the clean-up crew couldn't get a signal.”