Richland County man killed when car crashed into ditch and tree, SC officials say
A Midlands man who was killed in a car crash Friday has been publicly identified by the Richland County Coroner’s Office.
On Sunday, Coroner Naida Rutherford identified the driver as Joseph Freeman Jr., a 53-year-old Blythewood resident.
Freeman was the only person inside a 2008 Nissan Maxima during the single-vehicle collision, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The crash happened at about 4:30 a.m. at the intersection of Mullis Road and Claude Bundrick Road in Blythewood, Bolt said.
Freeman was driving south on Mullis Road when he ran off the right side of the road and hit a ditch before colliding with a tree, according to Bolt.
Authorities have not said if Freeman died on scene or was first taken to an area hospital. There was no word if Freeman wore a seat belt.
No other injuries were reported.
Information about what caused Freeman to veer off the road was not available, but the crash is being investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Thursday, 541 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 35 people have been killed in Richland County crashes in 2022, according to DPS. There were 73 deaths there last year, DPS data show.
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This story was originally published July 17, 2022 at 8:07 AM.
