Pressure Washing in Ladson, SC

OSHA officials have shared their investigative findings on what they believe Pegasus Steel failed to do.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - More than six months after a woman was crushed to death at a Ladson business, officials with the South Carolina Occupation Safety and Health Administration have shared their investigative findings on what they believe the business failed to do.

Jessica Birkmire, 53, died at Pegasus Steel in Ladson on Jan. 12 after a large, steel door closed on her, crushing her arm and head, according to the Charleston County Coroner.

OSHA’s investigative report says Birkmire was preparing to unload materials at a large bay door when she reached through a small gap to click the ‘open’ button. She instead clicked the ‘close’ button, and the door shut on Birkmire.

OSHA details how Pegasus Steel did not conduct a ‘job hazard analysis,’ and despite making references to these job inspections, they provided no documentation to prove these risk assessments had been completed.

They say their inspection revealed conditions they believe to be in violation of state health and safety laws, specifically Code 41-15-210, which states “each employer shall furnish to his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.”

The report states this is a ‘serious’ violation.

OSHA’s report goes on to say there is, however, a memo from management sent out last summer that explains how employees were not authorized to walk through the bay doors, according to the report. During investigative interviews, OSHA found employees were routinely walking through these doors, and the report states no disciplinary action was taken.

The Chief Human Resources Officer for Pegasus Steel said in an interview with OSHA officials that Birkmire broke safety codes at the business when she reached through the bay door. The report also details how Birkmire was “headstrong” and that management had told her in the past to “not place her body in places that can hurt her.”

OSHA says the company also should have had sensors in place to detect objects in the door’s path.

OSHA provided Pegasus Steel with tips on how to keep the door from closing on people again including installing sensors. The business is also now ordered to pay a penalty of $3,500.

Officials said in the report they’re currently working on relocating those control buttons that Birkmire pushed. The business did not respond to a request for comment.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

LADSON, S.C. (WCBD) – Are you frustrated with traffic backups in Ladson? One resident has what they feel would be a simple fix to help alleviate a major intersection.

The traffic pattern and potholes at the intersection of Lincolnville and Ladson roads have been a source of frustration for many drivers in the Ladson area. The area sees backups during the morning and afternoon rush hours often.

One News 2 viewer who drives through the intersection daily believes a turn lane could make all the difference.

Karen Fonkert said that with so many neighborhoods on Lincolnville Road – and even more being built – backups in Ladson are only getting worse. Especially at the Lincolnville/Ladson Road intersection. She said what is normally an eight-minute commute with no traffic, is often much longer.

“Usually, it’s about a 20-minute wait, just at the light. It backs way up, about a half mile, normally. And so if there’s an accident anywhere along there, it’s even worse,” said Fonkert.

As it stands now, cars move left to leave space for those turning right. But instead of a right turn lane, cars have to traverse a mess of dirt and potholes where the road drops off.

In fact, Fonkert said she once saw a truck break its axle when its tire fell into a pothole. But she says some new pavement could solve the problem.

“What I really think would help, and a lot of people have said this too, if there were a right turn lane. That would allow traffic to keep going through, and it maybe wouldn’t back up so far back on Lincolnville Road,” she said.

The roadway is maintained by the state. News 2 asked officials with the South Carolina Department of Transportation if they would be willing to look into paving a legitimate turn lane – but unfortunately, they only came up with this response:

“There are not any upcoming projects planned for this intersection.” They encouraged any concerned residents to reach out to their customer service center.

If this intersection drives you crazy, you can let SCDOT know. And if there’s any other roadway issue, you’d like for us to look into, send an email to mfee@wcbd.com.

LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School District is one step closer to getting a new elementary school in Ladson.

The Charleston County School District’s Audit and Finance Committee approved funding for a new Ladson Elementary School Tuesday afternoon. The Charleston County Board of Trustees will have a final vote on the building next week.

The project is just now in the beginning stages, but the new Ladson Elementary School will cost over $47 million for materials and labor to build the school that will hold 900 students.

Ladson Elementary School is currently located at 3321 Ladson Rd., with the current building being completed back in 1976.

“I think the biggest thing is always to make sure they’ve got enough bids to find the best price,” parent Joy Brown says. “It is a huge ticket item, but it’s expensive to build a school.”

The existing Ladson Elementary School has seen steady growth over the last four years according to data from the South Carolina Department of Education 45-day school headcount numbers.

This year the school has 893 students compared to 843 students back in 2020.

Going even further back to 2012, Ladson Elementary had 801 students.

As the Charleston County School District continues to grow with more people moving to the area, Brown says it’s important for the district to spend money in the right places.

“I think for me as a parent, I feel like it’s important to have the right amount of schools,” Brown says. “School size matters, class size matters. You can’t have tons of kids packed into one school; Charleston’s a high growth area.”

The committee also approved over $66 million for 12 projects throughout the district ranging from renovations, replacements, and new buildings. Some projects of note include:

“I think it’s important for people to realize this money has been allocated specifically for schools,” Brown says. “We just want to make sure that it is efficiently used when you’re looking at growth.”

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

LADSON, S.C. (WCIV) — There is a buzz in the Ladson area about dead bees near a house. The homeowner is concerned after finding them.

Bees are important pollinators. Many crops people eat are thanks to them. On top of that, honeybees produce honey.

Read more: Grand Bees residents voice concerns over heavy crow population in their neighborhood

"I get up in the morning, and I come through here because there is a lot of pine straw and leaves," Chris Wells said. "I'll blow all this off, so they are normally congregated around here and up here."

"In the back, don't really find many, but I got chickens back there," he continued. "(The chickens) probably eat them once they are on the ground and dead."

It's been happening over the past month. Near the front of the house, Wells says he was finding up to 100 a day. Recently, it's been a little less, but still more than 20 a day.

Wells doesn't think mosquito spraying is the cause since his house in Dorchester County was last sprayed two weeks ago. Other areas in the Lowcountry allow residents to opt out of spraying to protect bees.

Brian Fahey, who does beekeeping as a hobby, is impressed with how Charleston County officials work hard to protect the bees.

"The measures (county officials) take to make certain that they're not over-paying or contaminating any of our hives or taking out any bees (includes) spraying at night," he said. "Bees only fly during the day, they need sunlight to be able to navigate."

By looking at the pictures, Fahey thinks the bees' tongues sticking out could be a sign of poisoning, but it is hard to tell without further inspection. He says the bees definitely look older, although they typically only live up to 45 days.

Read more: Bee swarming season: what to do if you spot a swarm

"The last thing honeybees do is forage," Fahey said. "As they're forging, they're on their last legs. They're beating their wings to death."

Whatever the cause, Wells is hoping to get to the root of the problem because he believes the lack of bees around him has resulted in less pollination this year.

“We have a bunch of plants back there that needed to be pollinated," he said. "We didn't get any blueberries this year. Got a few figs, but normally, we get a pretty good amount of blueberries."

A 336-unit multifamily housing complex in Ladson called Broadstone Ingleside sold for $77.5 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate services firm that arranged the deal.

Cushman & Wakefield’s John Phoenix, Louis Smart and Austin Green represented the seller in the transaction. The multifamily community was acquired by a joint venture between affiliates of Abacus Capital and Westbrook Partners, according to a Cushman & Wakefield news release.

"Broadstone Ingleside is a best-in-class garden asset built by one of the most prolific developers in the nation,” Smart, director at Cushman & Wakefield, said in the news release. “This deal is in the absolute bullseye for job growth and in-migration in Charleston — one of the fastest growing and most sought-after markets we cover.”

Broadstone Ingleside is a desirable property because it is positioned in a rapidly expanding North Charleston submarket just off Interstate 26, located near several big-name corporations, the news release said.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Sunbelt Multifamily Advisory Group is a 109-person investment sales team covering 11 states. The group closed $11.1 billion in sales volume through 360 deals and more than 60,300 units.

Hot Properties highlights recently sold or leased commercial properties in the Charleston region. Send in your transactions using our online form. Other recent commercial real estate transactions include:

Brent Case and Jing “Julia” Donovan of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the landlord, Windsor Hill Flex LLC, in the lease of retail/flex/office space at Suite 4 at 8210 Windsor Hill Blvd. in North Charleston. Hannah Kamba of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the tenant, La Hacienda of West Ashley LLC.

Kristen Krause of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the seller in the sale of 2,500 square feet on 1.29 acres of commercial redevelopment property at 1905 Old Trolley Road in Summerville for $1.5 million. Michael Silverman of TSCG represented the buyer.

Jing “Julia” Donovan of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the tenant, Poke Cafe Tanger Outlet LLC, in the lease of retail space at Tanger Outlet in North Charleston from Masison Plaza LLC. Chase Development Company represented the landlord.

Markus Kastenholz and Remington Beatty of Colliers South Carolina represented the buyer, Triple B Capital LLC, in the sale of retail space at 2400 Gap Road in North Charleston for $2,000,000.

Robert Pratt of Re/Max Pro Realty represented the buyer, RLP LLC and Tricom Associates LLC, in the sale of 10,880 square feet of retail space at 10599 Dorchester Road in Summerville from PRED Pharmacy-Summerville LLC for $1,850,000. Joel Cukier of Ascension Advisory represented the seller.

Patrick Nealon of Colliers South Carolina represented the seller, Arbys Properties LLC, in the sale of 2,600 square feet of retail space at 6124 Rivers Ave. in North Charleston to Abrahim Dabit.