CHARLESTON, SC NEWS - LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, SportsDriver hits construction worker

Driver hits construction worker

By Hatzel Vela  bio | email | twitter

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - A woman was arrested for driving drunk after she smashed into a construction worker and some cones at the intersection of Remount Road and Rivers Avenue.

It happened Monday at around 10 p.m., reports showed.

Courtney Whittle, 31, was charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene with injury.

A North Charleston police officer said Whittle did not stop after she hit the worker. Because he was already at the construction site, he got in his car, followed and stopped Whittle as she was getting on Interstate 26.

Whittle later admitted to having too much to drink and told authorities she should not have been driving, reports show.

The construction company said the man was with a crew replacing traffic lights. The victim was standing on a median and removing cones when it happened.

The worker was badly bruised but not seriously hurt, company officials said.

The company he works for is worried he won't be the last and fear future injuries could even be fatal.

"We basically come to work with the knowledge that sooner or later something bad is going to happen. We've given up worrying if it's a question of it, but when this happens," said Earl Capps, of the U.S. Groups construction company.

Capps said in less than a year since construction started on the interstate 26, there has been six other similar incidents.

All six have involved workers who were inside their vehicles when they were hit by drivers. Company officials said at least three drivers were driving under the influence.

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