24-year-old man dead after a construction accident on I-26 near Lexington County

The Lexington County Coroner has identified the man killed Friday night in a construction accident as Ramon Ortiz-Medina.

Ortiz-Medina, 24, was killed near the 130-mile marker of Interstate 26 eastbound in Lexington County at approximately 11:15 p.m., according to a statement released by Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher.

He was pronounced dead at the scene following an accident involving heavy equipment, according to the statement. Ortiz-Medina was working on a crew paving the road on the interstate, according to chief deputy coroner Chandler Clardy, with the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Monday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Construction is the deadliest profession in South Carolina. In 2021, the most recent year for which there is data, 10 people died in South Carolina in construction-related accidents, according to South Carolina Department of Licensing and Regulation.

This story was originally published April 15, 2023 at 4:39 PM.

Ted Clifford

The State

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Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.