Truck driver killed in crash near Midlands road identified by SC coroner
One person was killed in an overnight crash near a Midlands road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Morris Nelson, 65, died in the accident, Kershaw County Coroner David West said Monday.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 9:30 p.m., near the intersection of S.C. 34/Ridgeway Road and Middleton Drive, Master Trooper David Jones said Monday. That’s in the Lugoff area of Kershaw County, about 2 miles from Lugoff-Elgin High School.
A 2001 Dodge truck was driving east on Ridgeway Road when it ran off the right side of the road and hit a culvert, then a ditch, Jones said.
Nelson, who was not wearing a seat belt while driving the truck, died at the scene, according to West.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word on what caused the truck to veer off the road and toward the drainage pipe, but the collision is being investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Friday afternoon, 1,068 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Of those, 706 of the victims had access to seat belts, but 348 were not wearing them, DPS reported.
At least 20 people have been killed in Kershaw County crashes in 2021, and seat belts were not used in at least 13 of the collisions, according to the DPS.
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This story was originally published December 27, 2021 at 10:49 AM.
