Truck driver killed in early-morning crash on Midlands-area highway, SC cops say
One person is dead following an early-morning crash on a Midlands-area road, South Carolina Highway Patrol said Wednesday.
The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 5 a.m. on a stretch of U.S. 21 running through Orangeburg County, Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell said. That’s about 30-plus miles south of Columbia.
A box truck was heading north on the highway when the driver ran off the left side of the road, according to Tidwell.
The truck smashed into a culvert and the driver died at the scene, Tidwell said.
The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office will publicly identify the driver once the next of kin has been notified.
Information on what caused the truck to veer off the road was not available, and Tidwell said it is not know if the driver was wearing a seat belt.
The wreck is being investigated by Highway Patrol.
Through the first three weeks of the year, 29 people have died on South Carolina roads, according to the Department of Public Safety. Of those killed, 20 had access to seat belts, but 12 of the victims were not wearing safety restraints, DPS said.
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