CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – A “sizeable gap” between a roadway and a small bridge in Charleston County has led to a state payout after a lawsuit claimed the South Carolina Department of Transportation neglected to fix it, causing injuries to one driver.
SCDOT paid out more than $45,000 through the South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund earlier this year to the family Robin Gaster after the car she was driving fell into a gap between Highway 165 southbound and a small bridge.
According to a 2021 lawsuit, this area was already known to “periodically separate” by SCDOT.
Gester was driving her son’s car in May 2019 near Hyde Park Road when the car’s tires fell in the gap, breaking the struts of the vehicle and causing her injuries that ended up requiring surgery.
The lawsuit also alleged that the agency failed to take effective measures to remedy the problem in that area.
Gaster died from unrelated, natural causes before the issue was brought to court.
It’s unclear if that problem has been fixed or if SCDOT has made adjustments in that area.
The agency has not responded to a request for comment.
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