Jul 14, 2009 | 2 min read

N.C. Correctional Officer Dies in Crash with a N.C. County Patrolman

In an unusual turn of events there was a two vehicle car crash in Horry County that included two NC officers with one of them dead as a result of the accident. A North Carolina Correctional Officer was killed Thursday in a collision involving an Horry County police officer on S.C. 544 and Singleton Ridge Road.

At approximately 2:15 p.m., Ricky Ruggerio, an Horry County patrol officer, was traveling west on S.C. 544 in his department cruiser and collided with a Dodge traveling east on S.C. 544, as the Dodge attempted a left turn onto Singleton Road, according to Sonny Collins of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_nt5FF3lXw

A Department of Corrections officer, Timmy Fulmore, was the fatality in the wreck. Fulmore was 42-years-old and a resident of Orrum, N.C. He was an employee of a prison in Tabor City, N.C., according to the Horry County Coroner’s office.

A woman that was a passenger in the Dodge as well as Officer Ruggerio were rushed to Conway Medical Center. Ruggerio was then flown to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to Horry County police.

Officials said the officer was stable Thursday evening. The condition of the woman from the Dodge has not been released. The accident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Side impact collisions are among the deadliest out there. There often isn’t enough car between you and what’s hitting you to keep you safe. The risk of dying or being seriously injured, if you’re struck in the side right where you’re sitting is much higher than the typical frontal crash. A person in a crash like this is likely going to sustain multiple rib fractures and internal organ injuries as well as possible multiple skull fractures.

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