Midlands man killed walking across highway identified by Lexington County coroner

A Midlands man was hit by a vehicle and killed Tuesday as he was walking across a major highway running through the area.

The pedestrian who died when he attempted to cross US-1 (Augusta Highway) was identified as Santiago Mendez Molta, according to Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher.

The 44-year-old Pelion resident was hit at about 4:45 p.m. in the 2800 block of Augusta Highway, Fisher reported. That is near Lexington High School.

Fisher said Molta was pronounced dead at the scene because of the injuries he suffered.

The driver of the vehicle that fatally struck Molta was not injured and stopped “at the scene to render aid,” according to Fisher.

There is no word on what caused the collision or if any criminal charges will be pursued.

The deadly crash is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

This is the second fatal collision on this stretch of US-1 in less than a week. On Nov. 15, 22-year-old Randy Wayne Shull, Jr. was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on the road, The State reported.

This story was originally published November 20, 2018 at 9:08 PM.