SMITHFIELD – A tractor trailer driver was captured in Florence, South Carolina this morning (Monday) and charged with a deadly hit and run accident that occurred hours earlier in Smithfield.
Around 2:00am, the Highway Patrol said Joseph Stanley Wagner, age 52, of Clayton was operating his motorcycle westbound on US 70 Business near Smithfield, when a tractor trailer pulled from the Amazon warehouse onto US 70 into his path.
The motorcycle collided with the trailer portion of the semi, ejecting Wagner who died at the scene. His motorcycle came to rest on the shoulder of the roadway.
Troopers said the operator of the semi, Kamha Kohnoh John Smith, age 32, of Lithonia, Georgia failed to stop.
The Highway Patrol sent out a broadcast to law enforcement agencies looking for the hit and run semi. The South Carolina Highway Patrol located the truck in Florence, SC and conducted a traffic stop. Officials said there was obvious damage to the trailer portion of the truck indicating it had been involved in a prior collision.
Kamha Smith was taken into custody and charged with felony hit and run causing serious injury or death. He is currently in custody awaiting extradition to North Carolina.
Authorities said Smith was operating a semi truck for a third-party transporter, based in Atlanta, Georgia, hired to transport freight from the Smithfield Amazon warehouse to another destination.
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This story has been updated
What kind of person does this? You knew you had hit something & you don’t stop! This was someone’s child, parent, sibling etc & you chose to just leave them beside the road. There is absolutely no excuse for the lowlife scum that does this. Shame on you.
Whomever left this great man to die like this, just know he would have forgiven you, all you had to do WAS STOP TO HELP. HE HELPED LITERALLY EVERYONE AND YOU DIDN’T STOP TO HELP HIM.
Who was this? The bike looks like an orange Harley.
The Service Manager at the Smithfield HD dealership. A nicer or friendlier man you’d never meet
Joe Wagner
Did anyone mention what country did our newcomer (border crosser) that left the scene come from, folks he probably just doesn’t understand our laws requires us to stay at the accident scene? Don’t be so fast to judge that they meant to violate our complicated laws!!!
Only that he was from the stare of Georgia..Unless you have PROOF he was from another country
Bulls**t truck drivers know the law
@Biden Won: What an ignorant a** comment to make smh. Nothing complicated about pulling the F over when you HIT someone!!
His Screen name says it all!!! SMH
I don’t give a rats fine rectum how complicated the laws are. Basic human decency would be to stop and check on the other human being that you ran over with your enormous vehicle.
The driver should have a CDL license, so he definitely KNOWS to remain at the scene of an accident involving him. Do better, Biden Won (he didn’t), a little knowledge is a good thing.
Like Biden, you’re a efin IMBICILE
That response was just as BS as your name. His name, his faint possibility that he is a border crosser, is also ridiculous. Anyone who is capable and legally hired to drive a semi – or any other vehicle that he is LICENSED to drive, KNOWS when someone is hurt, or even if not, you stay at the accident scene. He didn’t. He is guilty and hopefully should be fired – and in your reply – if a border crosser indeed – should be crossed back over whatever border he came from.
Hey idiot, if you are a commercial truck driver, you know the rules of the road!!!! Since you think this person is a border crosser, this should tell you that an open border is not the way to go for America. Anyone you thinks hitting a person and driving away is ok, is just common and inhumane, i don’t care where you are from. That is a human life and there is no da*n excuse.
If you don’t understand the laws, you do not need to be driving.
most countries have laws about remaining at the scene of a collision so yeah its not that complicated. stop making excuses for people that shouldn’t be a doing a job because they are careless. To be a CDL-A driver he had to go through school but that doesn’t mean he is a shi**y driver that shouldn’t be driving a commercial vehicle.
You’re an idiot.
Directed at Biden won…. He flat out murdered an innocent man fled the scene. Take your ignorant thoughts elsewhere. Or maybe instead of having sympathy for a murderer show some compassion for the family you race baiting ignorant fool.
@ Biden Won, you don’t need to know our laws to know to stay at the scene of an accident you caused. It’s called being human. This was a friend you killed. He would have helped anyone, friend or stranger. He probably would even have forgiven you, but I don’t. Shame on you.
His last name is Smith, “BidenWon”. And common human compassion tells you to stop and check n someone. Also hopefully he has a drivers license so he took a test to get them and all traffic laws are covered.
I got one thing to say that truck driver you’re a piece of sh*t to leave the seen of the wreck I drove 30 years and if it was my fault I still would’ve left the scene who knows you a**hole you might help save his life (truck driving grad I bet)
It doesn’t matter if he is from MARS, he killed someone and fled the scene. There is no excuse. Truck drivers should have more experience than most drivers. Always makes me think when they flee , they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Prayers for the families involved. So many lives ruined.
There is NEVER an excuse to leave someone regardless of the reasoning…whether you’re scared or not stop, try to help, call emergency services, or simply be with someone in possibly their last moments. It is beyond me that there are people out there that simply LEAVE and just keep on driving like nothing ever happened. That to me deserves the ultimate punishment. Caring more about your own possible consequences than an injured human being possibly being helped or comforted. I have lost my faith in humanity
Truck driver, when convicted, should get a lengthy jail time, and permanently not be able to have drivers luscense.
I hope they hang the truck driver’s a** out to dry!
The truck driver knew he hit somebody especially if you pull out in front of someone but he will probably get a slap on the back. It’s felony death hit and run .
It is being charged as felony hit and run causing death from what was just stated on the evening news. This driver will never hafta worry about having a commercial drivers license again but the sad truth is, his attorney will plead his case down to a lesser charge and he’ll probably never see serious jail time. He SHOULD be charged with no less than MURDER for the simple fact that he crossed state lines in an effort to avoid prosecution but if I had to guess, his defense is gonna be that he wasn’t even aware that he made contact with Joe Wagners’ motorcycle. It’ll be interesting to see how this case plays out in court but it’s a sad day for all of us that ride in this area. From what I understand, Mr. Wagner was a stand-up guy with a great heart that enjoyed helping people through his charity organization and left behind 4 young children and a fiancé of 15 years. Another brother gone too soon. Rest In Peace Joseph Wagner.
RIP JOE !!! 🙏 I will remember our conversation thrusday at bike night. You are a good man and I will miss you brother
Praying for the family and friends of the victim…🙏🏻. Kudos to the S.C. Trooper for being on the lookout for the vehicle and locating the suspect.
He was a good man with a heart of compassion someone you could always count on and I loved him like family.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family such a devastating loss.
It makes not one stupid bit of difference what kind of laws we have in our state or for that matter even the laws in his state or country for that matter, it’s about looking where the heck you are pulling out from and I’m sure someone has had it happen to them or someone they knew,you just don’t for any reason leave a loving human being on the side of the road like a dog you hit or trash you just threw out the window.
The only credit I’m going to give him is maybe he didn’t see or hear him and you know that that motorcycle only weighs a little compared to the load he was pulling and he might have not even noticed that or felt it but that’s all he gets from me,I’m a bike rider of thirty years and was hit and paralyzed from that,.
Thanks JOCO Report for the update. Now I just hope justice will be served since this guy hit and ran. He deserves everything that the book is permitted to be thrown at him.
Joseph Wagner was his name! One of the founders of Help Thy Neighbor Johnston County! His main goals in life, family, friends, community, helping others and GOD!
If you didn’t know him you have missed out! If you did know him the void can never be replaced or filled!
It was a honor and privilege to have known you and I’m a better person for God placing you in my life! I’m heart broken and lost!
This is just me thinking 🤔 truck pulled out didn’t see any incoming traffic and got his whole truck and trailer straight on the road. The person RIP hit the back of the truck. I’m thinking either the motorcycle was going super fast that he wasn’t able to STOP. Would the truck driver felt the hit, not sure but I’m sure that you have to be looking at your mirrors from left to right at all times and something he had to see. Who knows if this person just came out of school and was given a truck with no one experience with him. Hopefully there are videos that can say the whole story. My condolences to his family and friends.
Well Angie it’s not somebody with 5 DUI’s and no license.