Second driver dies after crash killed SCDOT worker, hurt two others, coroner says
Two men were killed, including astate employee, and two others were injured in an early-morning crash while heading to work, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said Thursday.
Charles “Chuck” Kennedy, 59, was the driver of the SCDOT vehicle who was killed in the head-on collision, officials said in a news release.
Two other members of the crew, who were on their way to a worksite, were taken to an area hospital, according to the release. Further information on their conditions was not available.
A day after the wreck, Jonathan Matthew Titus died at Spartanburg Regional Hospital, according to Greenwood County Coroner Sonny Cox. The 24-year-old Bradley resident was the driver and lone occupant of the vehicle that collided with the SCDOT van, South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The crash happened at about 6:45 a.m. Thursday on U.S. 178, according to Cox.
Kennedy was driving south when another vehicle heading in the opposite direction crossed the center line near Scotts Ferry Road, according to the release. That’s in Ninety Six, about 60 miles west of Columbia.
Kennedy suffered blunt force trauma and died at the scene, Cox said. Blunt force trauma was Titus’ cause of death, according to the coroner.
Kennedy and a front-seat passenger wore seat belts, but a back-seat passenger was not wearing a safety restrain, Highway Patrol said. Titus was also wearing a seat belt, according to Highway Patrol.
Information on what caused the other vehicle to cross the center line was not available, but the collision is being investigated by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Kennedy, a McCormick resident, had worked for SCDOT since February 2020, according to the release. He’s survived by his wife, Mary, a son and a daughter and multiple grandchildren, among other relatives, SCDOT officials said.
“Our hearts are broken again as we suffer through another death of an SCDOT team member and two more who were injured. Our hearts go out to the families,” SCDOT Secretary Christy Hall said in the release. “They can be sure that SCDOT will support them in any way possible.”
Kennedy was an avid fisherman, a racing fan, and enjoyed playing golf with his SCDOT teammates at the McCormick Country Club, according to the release. Family and friends told SCDOT officials that Kennedy had a great sense of humor, was easy to get along with, was very helpful, and was the type of man who “never met a stranger.”
“The SCDOT Team will be praying for the victims and families of this crash,” Hall said. “We would ask the public to take a moment to remember them, especially Chuck Kennedy and his family.”
Through Wednesday afternoon, 430 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
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This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 1:11 PM.
