In 24 hours, 2 people killed in separate crashes in one Midlands county, SC cops say
In less than 24 hours, two people were killed in separate collisions in one Midlands county, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.
In unrelated wrecks on Sumter County roads, two drivers died and another person was injured, Master Trooper David Jones said.
The first crash happened at about 2:50 a.m. Saturday on Packs Landing Road, according to Jones.
Lynwood Cox was killed in the single-vehicle collision, Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said.
The 24-year-old Dalzell resident died at the scene and an autopsy is scheduled for Monday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to Baker.
Cox was driving a 2015 Chevrolet truck east on Packs Landing when the pickup ran off the left side of the road and smashed into a tree, Jones said.
Cox was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the truck, according to Jones.
A front-seat passenger in the truck, who was wearing a seat belt, was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Jones said. Further information on the passenger’s condition was not available.
There was no word on what caused the truck to run off the road, but the crash continues to be investigated by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
About 22 hours later, both Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office responded to another fatal wreck about 20 miles away on Pitts Road. That’s a few miles outside of downtown Sumter.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Jones said.
The driver of a 2004 Nissan Sentra died at the scene, according to Jones. The coroner’s office is expected to release the name of the driver after notifying the next of kin.
The Nissan was heading north on Pitts Road when it crossed the center line and crashed head on with a 2014 Ford pickup truck that was traveling in the opposite direction, Jones said.
The driver of the Nissan was not wearing a seat belt, according to Jones.
The man driving the pickup truck was wearing his seat belt and was not injured, Jones said.
Information on what caused the Nissan to veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the wreck remains under investigation by Highway Patrol.
Through Friday afternoon, 293 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Of those, 201 of the victims had access to seat belts, but 93 were not wearing them, DPS reported.
At least 10 people have been killed in Sumter County crashes in 2021, and seat belts were not used in eight of the deaths, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published April 25, 2021 at 11:21 AM.
