$11 million paid to family whose husband died after hitting gas tanker blocking road

COLUMBIA, SC -- A major trucking company whose drug-impaired driver blocked a rural, S.C. road at night with his tanker loaded with 8,800 gallons of gasoline has paid $11 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a man who died after accidentally ramming the tanker.

Kenneth Avis, 48, a father and stepfather of two and caretaker of his aging mother, was burned to death in the August 2016 crash, which caused an explosion and a huge gasoline fireball.

At the time, Avis was driving his 18-wheeler loaded with cardboard at about 57 mph. He was on S.C. 4 about eight miles west of Orangeburg when he cleared a hill and suddenly saw the gasoline tanker before him. He slammed on his anti-lock brakes but was still going an estimated 25 mph when his truck hit the tanker.

“The fire was so hot, the tanker melted and they had to repave the road,” said attorney Cheryl Perkins, who worked with John Eric Fulda and Mandy Shuler to settle the case without going to trial.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article164242737.html