Charles Scott Glatzer Killed in Gaffney Commercial Vehicl...
The Hendersonville man's Porsche was side-swiped by a tractor-trailer and T-boned by a second vehicle
Charles Scott Glatzer, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 85 in Gaffney, South Carolina, on June 25, according to the Cherokee County Coroner's Office.
The southbound 2009 Porsche was side-swiped by a tractor-trailer near mile marker 96 before being T-boned by a second vehicle.
Rescue personnel freed the trapped driver from the wreckage.
Glatzer was airlifted to Spartanburg Medical Center and died from his injuries at 2:03 a.m. Sunday.
An autopsy is pending as authorities continue to investigate the three-vehicle collision.
What caused the vehicle crash on Interstate 85?
The tragic loss of Glatzer leaves his family searching for answers after a complex multi-vehicle collision. While authorities work to determine why the tractor-trailer side-swiped the Porsche, independent investigations are often necessary to preserve critical evidence in crashes.
Candice Bond, managing partner at Bond Legal, said, "Commercial vehicles are governed by strict federal safety standards, and compliance records become an important focus after fatal crashes involving large trucks. Maintenance logs, inspection histories, and driver qualification files all carry investigative weight."
"Attorneys helping surviving families request those records early, before carriers finish internal reviews and before documentation becomes harder to access independently," added Bond, who is also a national legal analyst for Accident News.
According to the National Safety Council, crashes involving large trucks caused 5,340 deaths and an estimated 161,201 injuries nationwide in 2024.
How do investigators analyze multi-vehicle collisions?
Truck accidents involve complex liability dynamics, especially when multiple impacts occur. Trucking companies typically dispatch rapid response teams to the scene immediately after a crash to mitigate their liability and control the narrative.
In South Carolina, drivers are subject to strict Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations regarding hours of service, vehicle maintenance, and load securement. Investigators will review electronic logging devices and dashcam footage to determine the sequence of events that led to the fatal impacts.
South Carolina wrongful death statute
Under S.C. Code § 15-51-10, surviving family members may file a wrongful death action. South Carolina applies modified comparative fault (51% bar). The statute of limitations is 3 years.
Recoverable damages may include loss of financial support, loss of companionship, funeral expenses, and mental shock and suffering.
"Insurance companies often move quickly after a fatal crash, and surviving relatives may not realize that early settlement offers can fall well short of the full compensation actually available. Legal counsel reviews those offers carefully before any agreement is signed," noted Stefano Formica, a national legal analyst for Accident News and of counsel at Bond Legal.