Driver killed when ATV flips over and crashes into Midlands creek, SC cops say
One person was killed Sunday when an ATV crashed and flipped over into a creek, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 10 a.m. in Orangeburg County, said Cpl. David Jones.
The Polaris side-by-side ATV was driving south in the median of U.S. 301 when it overturned into a creek, according to Jones.
The driver died at the scene, Jones said.
No cause of death has been released and the driver has not been publicly identified by the Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office.
There was no word if the driver wore a helmet, or if the ATV had a seat belt.
No other injuries were reported.
Information about what caused the wreck was not available, but it continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Thursday, 701 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 27 people have died in Orangeburg County crashes in 2022, and this was the second involving an ATV, DPS reported. Last year, 45 deaths were reported there, according to DPS data.
This crash happened on the same day that at least five other people were killed in collisions on Midlands roads.
Earlier Sunday morning, a 2021 Tesla was driving west on Salem Church Road in Richland County when it ran off the left side of the road and hit a tree before it went up in flames, the Highway Patrol said. Both the driver and a front-seat passenger were killed.
At about 10:30 p.m., a motorcycle rider died after crashing into a deer on S.C. 6 in Lexington County, according to Highway Patrol.
Later Sunday evening, at about 11:30 p.m., two people died in another Lexington County crash near the intersection of Augusta Road and 12th Street that involved a tractor trailer truck, according to the West Columbia Police Department.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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