Man killed when SUV and tractor-trailer collide identified by SC coroner
One person was killed and another was injured overnight when a tractor-trailer crashed into an SUV on a Midlands road, South Carolina Highway Patrol said Sunday.
Bennie Davenport died Saturday, according to Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece. An autopsy has been scheduled for the 71-year-old Blair man, Kneece said.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 6:15 p.m. on S.C. 34, near the intersection with Broad River Road, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt. That’s in Newberry County, near the junction of the Broad River and Parr Shoals Reservoir.
Davenport was driving west on S.C. 34 in a 2015 Jeep SUV when he failed to yield the right of way while making a turn and was hit by an eastbound 2012 Kenworth 18-wheeler, Bolt said.
Both Davenport and a front-seat passenger in the Jeep were trapped and had to be mechanically extricated, according to Bolt.
Davenport, who did not wear a seat belt, died on the scene, while the passenger was airlifted to an area hospital, Bolt said. Further information on the passenger’s condition was not available. The passenger wore a seat belt, according to Bolt.
The man driving the tractor-trailer wore a seat belt and was not hurt, Bolt said.
No other injuries were reported in the collision that is being investigated by Highway Patrol.
Through Friday afternoon, 966 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, state Department of Public Safety data shows. Of those, 643 of the victims had access to seat belts, but 315 were not wearing them, DPS reported.
At least 13 people have been killed in Newberry County crashes in 2021, and 10 of them were not wearing seat belts, DPS reported.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 9:35 AM.
