Driver killed in early morning crash with tractor trailer on highway in Midlands, cops say
One person was killed Monday in an early-morning crash on a section of an interstate running through the Midlands, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 2:15 a.m. in the westbound lanes of Interstate 26, according to Master Trooper David Jones.
A 2016 Jeep Patriot had stopped in one of the lanes at the 147 mile marker of I-26, Jones said. That’s in Orangeburg County, near the junction with U.S. 601 at Exit 145.
The SUV had its lights off when it was hit from behind by a westbound tractor trailer, according to Jones.
The SUV driver died at the scene, Jones said.
The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the SUV driver after notifying the next of kin.
Jones said the tractor-trailer driver was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.
Information about if either driver wore seat belts was not available.
There was no word why the SUV came to a stop on I-26, but the crash is being investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Thursday, 428 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 14 people have died in Orangeburg County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, 45 deaths were reported there, and five involved a pedestrian, according to DPS data.
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