Photo By 1st Lt. Tracci Dorgan | S.C. Army National Guard Sgt. Chris Grant and Sgt. Clayton Shaw get their wrecker...... read more read more
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GAFFNEY, S.C. - South Carolina Army National Guard wrecker teams moved out in full force to help during the winter storm that made roads dangerous around the southeast. Wrecker teams were stationed throughout the state to help wherever they were called Feb. 12.
Staff Sgt. Richard Krause was one of more than 100 soldiers put on State Active Duty to support one of fourteen wreckers teams from the S.C. Army National Guard tasked to assist the S.C. Department of Public Safety. Krause is a maintenance sergeant for the 124th Engineer Company in Saluda and was assigned to wrecker team 5. His team was comprised of other soldiers who live and work around the Columbia area, but were tasked with providing assistance in the Gaffney area. The team was prepositioned in the Upstate off of I-85 to be ready for whatever was needed.
“We recovered an 18-wheeler that broke down, partially blocking a lane, on I-85,” said Krause. “He was having transmission problems and couldn’t drive anymore. He was stuck for more than three hours before we got the call to help him. We arrived and towed him to the next exit where he was able to park his truck safely and get out of the storm.”
Krause said no other towing vehicles could reach him so it was important for a larger towing vehicle to get him clear of the road to keep all lanes clear on the highway. The S.C. Army National Guard's 1089 A-1 wrecker weighs about 80,000 lbs, so it was able to safely drive on ice covered roads. The wrecker team, in addition to Krause, included Staff Sgt. Jeffery Shaw, Sgt. Chris Barefoot and Sgt. Chris Grant. They were able to move the 18-wheeler off the road within 30 minutes of arriving.
“The team and I were happy we were able use our skills to help our community,” said Krause. “We were here before we were needed, staged off exit 90 at the Pilot gas station, ready to help. Because of our planning, we were able to respond quickly when we were needed.”
Krause said he was humbled by the number of people who stopped by and expressed their gratitude to the wrecker team while they waited to respond to calls.
Throughout the day and into the night, they, along with other wrecker teams also responded to calls for assistance by stranded motorists and other 18-wheelers who were stuck in areas around Spartanburg, Inman, as well as Gaffney.
“It was a great experience to be able to help," said Krause. "People who passed us were happy for us just being there."
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2014 22:58 |
| Story ID: | 120547 |
| Location: | GAFFNEY, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 112 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, S.C. National Guard team helps motorists in ice storm, by 1LT Tracci Dorgan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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