Midlands man killed when car crashed into ditch & flipped over identified by coroner
One person died late Friday night in a crash on a Midlands road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Alex K. Donaldson, a 26-year-old Orangeburg resident, died at the scene, Saluda County Coroner Keith Turner said Monday.
The single-vehicle collision happened in Saluda County at about 10 p.m., said Master Trooper Gary Miller.
A 2007 Nissan Altima was driving east on May Branch Road near the intersection with May Road when the car ran off the right shoulder, according to Miller. The Nissan then hit a mailbox and crashed into a ditch, causing it to flip over. The driver was killed, Miller said.
Miller said the driver was the only person in the car and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Donaldson was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the car to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol, the coroner’s office and the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy has been scheduled for this week, the coroner’s office said.
Through Jan. 16, at least 30 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,075 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
This is the first person killed in a crash in Saluda County this year, DPS data shows. Last year, two deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published January 22, 2023 at 9:20 AM.
