I-TEAM: Washed-out road in Wagener creates holes in community

WAGENER, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - When it rains, it pours on Cedar Creek Road.

The rushing water is strong enough to wash the road away, but it can’t wash away the tears of the Turner family.

“I think this is really hard because this is my child. This is my baby. Dylan was the most kindhearted person you ever met,” said Cindy Turner.

The potholes are fixed now — but one hole can’t be filled. 28-year-old Dylan Turner died on July 11 from a brain aneurysm.

“I miss it a lot, him not being there,” said Cindy.

He is buried at the place where he made his biggest impact.

Dylan’s mother, Cindy, tells our I-TEAM he was an honorary deacon and a part of the worship team at Central Baptist Church on Wire Road.

MORE FROM THE I-TEAM:

• New ketamine clinic fills void for Department of Veterans Affairs
• North Augusta farmer battles to get legal workers
• A look at dam failures in South Carolina, Georgia
• Concerns continue e of Augusta’s stormwater fees
• Some push to track potentially deadly meat allergy caused by tick bite

“He loved the roses,” said Turner.

Dylan worked with the youth and their small community at the church.

The flowers at his grave wither away as time es. Time that Dylan did not have the night he needed help.

Dispatch: “Aiken County 911.”

On July 9, at 7:01 p.m., a 911 call comes from a home on Cedar Creek Road.

Caller: “I have a young man here who has just ed out. I was cooling him off and his skin was clammy. He is non-responsive.”

“That evening, he just started feeling bad. Next thing you know, Dylan was down this all of a sudden like that, there was no signs of nothing,” said Cindy.

Dispatchers send out EMS at 7:02 p.m. Then, a second call to dispatchers as Dylan’s condition gets worse.

Caller: “He is stiffening up like he’s having a seizure. I don’t know what to do. He’s in and out and is still unresponsive.”

Dispatch: “They’re on the way to you. I’ll update them.”

911 records show EMS arrived on the scene at 7:24 p.m., more than 22 minutes after they were dispatched.

The I-TEAM uncovered responders were delayed because heavy rain had washed out Cedar Creek Road.

Dispatch radio traffic and the 911 caller both acknowledged Cedar Creek Road was closed that night.

Caller: “You’re going to have to come off of Kennedy Pond Road or Camp Rawls on Cedar Creek because the other side is closed off.”

Dispatch: “Be advised you’ll have to use Kennedy Pond to access the house. Coleman Bridge is still shut down.”

“I didn’t know anything about it. Dylan, I was telling me the road was a little rough, but he never told me how bad it was,” said Cindy.

Dylan died two days later in the hospital.

Will: “What was that night like when you got that call that something may have been wrong with Dylan?”

Cindy: “I fell to the floor. I went to the floor crying.”

The New Holland Volunteer Fire Department was requested for that call too. They never made it because the ambulance was closer.

“It’s the difference between life and death in some situations,” said Fire Chief Dennis Jackson.

ANOTHER I-TEAM INVESTIGATION:

• Silent Alarms continue inside the Augusta Fire Department
• City officials work to fix silent alarm issues
• Augusta leaders stall discussion on silent alarms
• City leader calls for answers on silent alarms at Augusta Fire Department
• Radio silence continues in silent alarm investigation
• Leaders respond to silent alarms in Augusta Fire Department
• Silent alarms within the Augusta Fire Department

Jackson says the volunteer department has been trying to light a fire under Aiken County to fix the road, which has been a known problem for years.

“There’s no telling what kind of condition that dirt road is going to be, even if it’s a shorter distance. Even if it’s a shorter distance, sometimes shorter is not better. If you get stuck, you can’t get there. It’s going to do you no good,” said Jackson.

Jackson says not being able to get exactly where they need to be is a major concern right now.

“It’s the difference between someone losing their home or losing one room. I mean, when you have a fire or a medical call, something’s happening, right then, you need help, right then,” said Jackson.

Aiken County told the I-TEAM in April 2023 that it had spent $30,000 to $50,000 trying to solve the issue, along with the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

That number has only increased since then, with neighbors saying the road has washed out dozens of times since then – including during Tropical Storm Debby.

“If we had a fire on that road, and we needed to go down that road for an emergency, we couldn’t . We couldn’t get out. EMS could not get down that road. If they had to go down that road, they would have to call us or somebody to bring a four-wheel drive truck to go through the hayfield to get to a house,” said Jackson.

It’s not just Cedar Creek Road.

Emergency vehicles are falling victim to several dirt roads across the county when they’re already limited in how they respond to calls.

“Right now, we’re a truck down because we got a truck in the shop getting work. It’s got good damage. And on it where we on a dirt road, it’s lead into the bank,” said Jackson.

Aiken County officials tell our I-TEAM that the only solution is to pave the road and install the proper drainage systems.

The I-TEAM took questions about your safety to Aiken County Brian Sanders who says paving and drainage is what’s needed. $800,000 of state money has been set aside for county road and drainage projects.

In an email, Sanders says, “This road is at the top of our list of concerns but unfortunately, we have two landowners that will not cooperate in the only viable solution we have. We are wasting no time though and this is in the hands of our attorney for the next step.”

“There’s been a lot of promises of stuff that’s going to happen and going to take care of over the years, especially around election year. And, they haven’t half. I mean, a lot of these roads are supposed to be, scheduled for, paving that hasn’t been paved. And every time something’s been said about it, it’s always been, you know, we can’t get a property owner to sign off on paving the road,” said Jackson.

For some, waiting years, a clear path can’t come soon enough.

Cindy misses her son every day.

“It hurts. Because we were so close,” said Cindy.

This is as families on Cedar Creek Road wish to drown out the memory of this nuisance road.

We are continuing to track the promises and progress on Cedar Creek Road, and the I-TEAM is looking into more roads in need of paving and the process.

The I-TEAM is working with the county to find out how many roads are like Cedar Creek Road, what funding is available, and why it’s taken the county so long to find a fix for this problem.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.