21-year-old Lexington County man killed in crash, coroner’s office says
A 21-year-old was killed in a crash over the weekend, the Lexington County Coroner’s Office said Tuesday.
Giovani Maya Garcia died in a Sunday morning accident, Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release. The 21-year-old Gilbert resident died at the scene, according to the release.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 4 a.m., at the intersection of U.S. 1/Augusta Highway and Calks Ferry Road, the coroner’s office said. That’s in Lexington, not far from Lake Murray.
Garcia was driving south on Augusta Highway when the vehicle ran off the left side of the road where it crashed into a traffic signal, according to the release.
Garcia was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle, Fisher said.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word what caused the vehicle to veer off the road, but the crash is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Through Friday, 570 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Seat belts were not worn in at least 194 of the deadly wrecks where occupants had access to the safety restraints, DPS data shows.
Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, according to DPS.
At least 22 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2022, and 15 of them were not wearing a seat belt, DPS reported. Last year, 57 deaths were reported there, according to DPS data.
That includes another fatal collision Sunday. At about 6:30 a.m., a motorcycle rider was killed in a crash on Augusta Road, according to the coroner’s office. That’s about 7 miles from the site of the crash where Garcia died.
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This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 11:58 AM.