Florida traveler killed in grisly mishap outside South Carolina truck stop, report says

A Florida traveler died in an unusual parking lot mishap when he got pinned between his pickup and an 18-wheeler outside a South Carolina truck stop, according to investigators.

The victim was identified as John Victor Vanslytman, 29, of Maitland.

Investigators say the collision happened around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at a Love’s Travel Stop in Blacksburg, about 5 miles south of the North Carolina state line. The travel stop is adjacent to Interstate 85.

“Vanslytman was in the parking lot .... standing on a 6 foot step ladder while working under the hood of his pick-up truck,” Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said in a news release.

“A tractor-trailer rig entered the parking lot and stuck Vanslytman while attempting to make a turn. The victim was pinned between the (rig) and his truck. Efforts to resuscitate him by EMS and fire personnel were unsuccessful.”

Vanslytman died in the parking lot, he said.

An autopsy is planned as part of an ongoing investigation.

The identity of the tractor-trailer driver was not released.

This story was originally published November 2, 2023 at 7:23 AM with the headline "Florida traveler killed in grisly mishap outside South Carolina truck stop, report says."