Speed a factor in deadly I-20 crash, Lexington coroner says

Speed was a factor in the Saturday crash on Interstate 20 that killed a North Carolina man, according to officials. 

The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-20 near mile marker 62, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a release Sunday. 

Jacklin Philippe, 29, of Fayetteville, N.C., was traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control and crashed into a guardrail and then a tree, Fisher said. He later died at an area of hospital from multiple traumatic injuries. 

Philippe was not wearing a seat belt, Fisher said. 

The S.C. Highway Patrol is investigating. 

Lexington County had 45 traffic deaths this year as of Aug. 6 compared to 26 at the same time last year, according to numbers from the S.C. Department of Public Safety. The county currently leads the state in traffic fatalities.