Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper O'Brien died from injuries he sustained in an on-duty automobile accident nine days earlier. Trooper O'Brien suffered severe leg damage when he lost control of his patrol car and veered into the path of a truck. Trooper O'Brien had been with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for 18 months. He was survived by his wife, parents, sister, and brother. While in the hospital that he had made Trooper of the Year. Trooper O'Brien's brother also served in law enforcement with the North Charleston Police Department. In 2007, state officials renamed the Garden Corner intersection, at the junction of U.S. Highways 17 and 21, the “Trooper David Hunter O’Brien Interchange".
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, parents, sister, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-2776971C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You barely got started.
Trooper I O'Brien gave the South Carolina Highway Patrol 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of South Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper I O'Brien.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper I David Hunter O'Brien is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In SC, 137 of 438 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.3% of this state's fallen. That is 0.3 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At South Carolina Highway Patrol, 31 of 52 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 59.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Hunter O'Brien's cause is highlighted.
How David Hunter O'Brien Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Hunter O'Brien is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
51 officers from South Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
