One dead in head-on crash with tractor trailer in Lexington County

A Pelion man is dead after a three-vehicle collision in Lexington County early Sunday morning.

The victim was identified as Kenneth Maxie Lucas, 47, coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release, noting Lucas was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from his vehicle. He died later at a hospital of multiple body trauma, the coroner said.

The crash happened at about 3:45 a.m. on S.C. 302 near Pleasant View Drive, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol. A semi-truck cab – not pulling a trailer – and a GMC Yukon were both traveling east on the highway.

A Dodge pickup truck driven by Lucas was traveling west on the highway, crossed over the center line, and struck the tractor trailer head-on, Cpl. Sonny Collins said. That crash caused the GMC Yukon to strike the semi in the rear.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was treated on the scene for minor injuries, Fisher said, and the driver of the third vehicle was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The road was closed for about three hours while crews cleaned up a fuel spill from the semi, Collins said.

The patrol and coroner’s office are investigating.

This story was originally published September 4, 2016 at 12:44 PM with the headline "One dead in head-on crash with tractor trailer in Lexington County."