Driver killed when pickup truck gets wedged between trees in crash, SC officials say

A driver was killed when the pickup truck he was driving crashed into multiple trees in a residential yard, South Carolina officials said.

David Ray Weichmann died in Tuesday’s accident, according to the Greenwood County Coroner’s Office. The 26-year-old Abbeville resident suffered blunt force trauma and died at the scene, Coroner Sonny Cox said.

At about 12:30 p.m., Weichmann was driving a 2016 Ford pickup west on S.C. 72 toward Abbeville when the truck crossed over the center line and ran off the left side of the road, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The pickup continued into a Greenwood County yard where it hit multiple trees, according to Bolt.

The pickup got lodged between two trees and Weichmann was entrapped in the vehicle, Cox said.

Bolt said Weichmann was the only person in the pickup during the single-vehicle collision, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if Weichmann was wearing a seat belt.

Information about what caused the pickup to veer off the road was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.

Through Sunday, 18 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,063 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

This was the first fatal collision reported in Greenwood County this year, DPS data shows. Last year, 13 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.

This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 8:04 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