Woman killed in fiery crash on Midlands road, SC officials say
A South Carolina woman was killed in a fiery crash on a Midlands road Tuesday, the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office said.
Rosemary Johnson died at the scene of the early-morning wreck on U.S. 1, Coroner David West said.
The 50-year-old McBee resident had to be extricated from the car, according to Master Trooper David Jones of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
At about 6 a.m., someone called 911 to report a car on fire in the woods, West said.
After Kershaw County firefighters extinguished the blaze, a body was found in the car, according to West.
Johnson was driving a 2004 Mitsubishi south on U.S. 1 when the vehicle ran off the left side of the road, according to Jones. The car flipped over before hitting a tree and bursting into flames, Jones said.
The Highway Patrol said the wreck happened near the intersection with Mecklenburg Road, which is in the downtown area of Bethune.
No other injuries were reported by the coroner’s office or Highway Patrol.
Information on what caused the car to veer off the road was not available, but the crash is being investigated by Highway Patrol.
This was the first fatal collision of 2021 in Kershaw County, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
At least 28 people have died on South Carolina roads in the first 12 days of 2021, DPS data shows.
Overall, 1,017 people died on South Carolina roads in 2020, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 10:01 AM.
