Richland County man dies in head-on collision with tractor trailer, coroner says
A Richland County man was killed in a head-on crash with a tractor trailer, the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office said.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 4 a.m. Saturday, said Master Trooper David Jones of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Roberto Reyes, 42, was traveling south on U.S. 601 when his SUV crossed the center line and smashed into an 18-wheel truck heading in the opposite direction, Coroner David West said. The wreck happened near the intersection with Old English Road in Lugoff, not far from Koon Road and a few miles from the Richland County line.
After the 2018 Kia Soul Reyes was driving collided with the 2015 Mack tractor trailer, both vehicles ran off the road where they hit a tree and went up in flames, Jones said.
Reyes was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene, according to Jones.
The driver of the semi was wearing a seat belt and suffered minor injuries, Jones said.
Information on what caused the Kia to veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the wreck remains under investigation by Highway Patrol.
This was Kershaw County’s fourth death in the past week that was caused by a car crash, according to West.
Through Friday, 402 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. Of those deaths, 282 of the victims had access to seat belts, and 154 were not wearing safety restraints, DPS reported.
This story was originally published June 21, 2020 at 9:39 AM.
