SUV flips over and catches on fire in deadly crash, SC coroner says

One person was killed Sunday when an SUV ran off a road, crashed into multiple objects, flipped over and caught on fire, South Carolina officials said.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 6:15 p.m. by Coleman Bridge Road in Aiken, according to Master Trooper David Jones of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

A 2022 Audi Q3 was driving east on Coleman Bridge Road. Near the intersection with Quattlebaum Road the SUV ran off the left side of the road, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said.

The SUV hit a culvert, flipped over, and hit a utility pole before going up in flames, according to Ables.

The driver was the only person in the SUV and died at the scene, Jones said.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word if the driver wore a seat belt.

The driver was not immediately identified because of thermal injuries suffered in the fire, Ables said.

An autopsy will be performed Tuesday to determine the driver’s cause of death and provide a positive identification, according to Ables.

Information about why the SUV veered off the road was not available, but the crash is under investigation by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.

Through Thursday, 605 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 15 people have died in Aiken County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, 36 deaths were reported there, according to DPS data.

This story was originally published August 15, 2022 at 7:40 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription