SC man killed after truck smashes into overpass on interstate, Highway Patrol says
A tractor trailer driver was killed Tuesday in a crash on Interstate 20, the Aiken County Coroner’s Office said. It was the first of two deadly wrecks reported hours apart in the same area.
At about 3:30 p.m., the 18-wheel truck was heading east on I-20 when it ran off the highway and smashed into the Bettis Academy Road overpass, Cpl. Sonny Collins said. That’s at Exit 11, the route to Graniteville.
Ronald Brand, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene, according to Coroner Darryl Ables. An autopsy on the 60-year-old Timmonsville resident is scheduled for Wednesday in Newberry, Ables said.
The single-vehicle collision blocked multiple lanes, and it took more than four hours before I-20 was cleared just before 8 p.m., according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
At about 8 p.m., another deadly but unrelated collision was reported on Bettis Academy Road, according to Collins.
A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run, Collins said.
The coroner will publicly identify the pedestrian after notifying the next of kin.
There was no description of the vehicle that left the scene, but like the earlier truck crash, it is being investigated by Highway Patrol.
Anyone with information on the driver or the collision is asked to call Highway Patrol at 803-896-9621 or 800-768-1501, or submit a tip to CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip. Tips can also be texted to *HP.
Through Monday afternoon, 152 pedestrians were among the 919 people that have been killed on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. At this time last year, 147 pedestrians had died in collisions on South Carolina roads, DPS data shows.
There have been at least the 26 people killed in Aiken County crashes in 2020, and six have been pedestrians, according to DPS.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 9:15 AM.
