SC man arrested after running away from deadly hit-and-run crash, Highway Patrol says
One person died and another is behind bars following a hit-and-run crash on a Midlands road, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The two-vehicle collision happened Monday on Big Buck Boulevard, near the intersection with Bethel Forest Road, according to Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell. That’s in Orangeburg, near the junction of U.S. 301 and Interstate 26 at Exit 154.
Lee Grant Moody was driving a 2021 GMC U-Haul van east on Big Buck Boulevard, but the 42-year-old Eutawville resident was in the westbound lane, Tidwell said.
The van crashed head on with a 2014 Honda Accord that was traveling west on the road, according to Tidwell.
Moody ran away from the wreck and was captured several hours later, Tidwell said.
Three people were in the Honda, including one passenger who died, Tidwell said.
Another passenger was injured and had to be taken to an area hospital, according to Tidwell. Further information on the passenger’s condition was not made available.
The Honda driver and both passengers wore seat belts, Tidwell said. It’s not known if Moody, the only person in the van, was wearing a seat belt.
The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the passenger killed in the crash after notifying the next of kin.
No other injuries were reported by the Highway Patrol.
There was no word on what caused the U-Haul van to veer into oncoming traffic, but Moody was charged with multiple crimes.
After he was tracked down, Moody was taken to the Orangeburg County Detention Center Tuesday where he was charged with hit-and-run with death, and hit-and-run with great bodily injury, according to Tidwell.
If convicted on the hit-and-run with death charge, Moody faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, while a conviction on the count of hit-and-run with great bodily injury could mean another 10 years behind bars and a $10,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Through Monday afternoon, 542 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, state Department of Public Safety data shows.
At least 20 people have been killed in Orangeburg County crashes in 2021, according to DPS.
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