Specific details remain unclear in connection with an accident last week on Charleston's North Bridge. Officials do confirm that one person died from injuries suffered in the three-car pileup and two others were hurt. At the time this blog is being written it's not clear what their conditions may be.

The thing that makes these kinds of car accidents so painful is that they happen so fast. The personal injuries that are suffered can run the full range from seemingly inconsequential to horribly serious and even fatal. When accidents do happen, authorities attempt to discover what occurred and blame may be assigned, but sometimes it can take more time and energy than police can give. Getting a clear picture of events and recovering the fullest compensation possible often requires the help of an attorney.

Authorities say the North Bridge accident happened during what amounts to the morning rush hour. The vehicles were on the northbound side of the Cosgrove Avenue bridge when the pile-up occurred. The North Charleston Fire Department responded and firefighters said that one of the vehicles had overturned, trapping one victim. They say it took 20 minutes to pull the person free.

Whether the three people who were hospitalized were drivers of the three vehicles or passengers wasn't clear from the reports.

One of the victims, David Ardrey of Charleston, died at Medical University of South Carolina. The Charleston County Coroner's Office says he suffered severe blunt force trauma and that he died as a result of his injuries.

In addition to the human toll, authorities say the accident forced the closure of the bridge for about an hour.

Source: Post and Courier, "Charleston man dies from injuries in Wednesday's North Bridge wreck," Jan. 20, 2012