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The Sun News: 1 Driver Dies, 1 Charged...
Jul 08, 2007The Sun News
By Aliana Ramos
1 driver dies, 1 charged in S.C. 544 crash
A Myrtle Beach hospice employee was killed in a head-on collision Saturday afternoon, officials said.
Eugene J. Callan, 49, died of head injuries suffered during a two-vehicle collision on S.C. 544, said Horry County Coroner Robert Edge Jr.
Thomas N. Lafluer, 53, of Myrtle Beach has been charged with reckless homicide and is being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
The accident happened about 1:20 p.m. Saturday on S.C. 544 about four miles east of Conway, said Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins with the S.C. Highway Patrol.
Callan was traveling in a 1998 GMC pickup and was stopped in the median.
Lafluer, who was driving a 2007 Dodge pickup, was traveling east. Lafluer drove into the median, striking Callan’s truck.
The Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team is looking into the wreck, Collins said.
Callan, was the personnel director for Mercy Hospice and Palliative Care in Myrtle Beach, said Dr. Charles Sasser.
“He was very well-respected and very well-liked,” said Sasser.
“He had a great sensitivity for end-of-life care. It’s such a tragedy.”
Since the beginning of the year through Thursday, there have been 538 fatalities on state highways, a statistic that includes passengers, pedestrians and cyclists, according to the Highway Patrol’s Web site.