An Orangeburg man died Tuesday morning when a heavy equipment tire exploded in what investigators are saying was simply a “tragedy.”

Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said late Tuesday investigators are trying to determine exactly what caused the tire to explode and kill the customer in the parking lot of Rodriguez Tires.

“We’ve got stories that the victim was deflating the tire and we have another individual who said that he was inflating,” Williams said. “That’s what we have right now.”

What detectives do know is 49-year-old Stanley Morris Hook of Community Park Road died instantly when what was reportedly a backhoe tire exploded next to him around 9:30 a.m.

Later, in the midst of 40 or so onlookers, two women identified as relatives of Hook burst into loud sobs as a county coroner’s van left the scene with the victim’s body.

A Sheriff’s Office incident report indicates Hook and an acquaintance brought the tire to the shop for repair. They were working on it in the parking lot.

The acquaintance told deputies he was walking away from the tire and Hook was walking toward it when it exploded.

Visibly shaken, the employees of Rodriguez declined comment, deferring to the Sheriff’s Office.

Britt Clark, a technician at Palmetto Outdoor Equipment across North Road from Rodriguez, said the explosion sounded like a shotgun blast.

“I looked up and saw the tire coming down and I saw it crash through the roof,” Clark said, adding that the tire appeared to have been blown about 50 feet into the air. A loose air hose wiggled crazily in the tire repair shop’s parking lot, Clark said.

Debris from the explosion was found 175 feet away.

“I knew it was something bad when I saw everybody freaking out,” Clark said. “I knew something happened but I didn’t know what.”

Police are still trying to answer that same question: What happened?

Williams said his investigators are taking nothing for granted and are looking at every possibility, including faulty equipment or procedures, or possible tire defects.

“There are many things that could have contributed to this, but these are the things we are looking at,” Williams said. “It will take some time to sort through.”

Across town, Doug Fulton, vice president of Strobel Tire Company, said he heard about the tragedy but knew few of the details.

However, with 19 years of experience in tire repair and replacement, Fulton said tire fatigue or stress could be one culprit.

Fulton also believes the tire could have been of multi-piece rim construction, which requires a “lock ring” to secure the tire to the rim. The multi-piece rims are found on industrial or farm equipment commonly found in a rural areas, he said.

“We have very seasoned veterans out there and they know to treat them with caution,” Fulton said.

Fulton said tire techs even have an ominous name for the lock-ring system: the widow maker.

At this point, Williams won’t rule the bizarre and violent incident an accident, instead reserving judgment until the investigation is more complete.

He did say there’s no indication of foul play.

Meantime, detectives continue their efforts to determine precisely what caused a tire explosion so large that a man died as a result.

“We know there was massive trauma to the victim, we know the victim died as a result,” Williams said. “It was an awful scene, just terrible.”

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.