Driver killed when SUV runs off road, hits fence and crashes into pond, SC cops say
A Georgia man was killed Sunday night when an SUV ran off a road in South Carolina and crashed into a pond, the Aiken County Coroner’s Office said.
Tyler D. Kent, 30, died at the scene, Coroner Darryl Ables said.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 6:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of Ascauga Lake Road, according to Ables. That’s in Graniteville, in the area between U.S. 520 and Bettis Academy Road.
Kent was driving a 2004 Toyota Sequoia north on Ascauga Lake Road, said Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Near the intersection with Wetland Way, the SUV ran off the left side of the road, crashed through a fence and landed in a pond, according to Tidwell.
A group of people pulled the Evans resident from the SUV before it became fully submerged and performed CPR until first responders arrived, but he couldn’t be revived, Ables said.
No cause of death was made public, and there will be an autopsy Tuesday.
Information about if Kent wore a seat belt was not available.
Tidwell said Kent was the only person in the SUV, and no other injuries were reported.
Information about why the Toyota veered off the road was not available, but the crash remains under investigation by the coroner’s office and the Highway Patrol.
Through Monday, 384 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least seven people have been killed in Aiken County crashes in 2022, according to DPS. There were 36 deaths there last year, DPS data shows.
In early May, another Georgia man was killed in a crash in Aiken County. Taylor M. Ross — a 20-year-old Martinez, Georgia, resident — died in a wreck that injured three other people near the 28 mile marker on Interstate 20.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 11:11 AM.
