Richland County man dies after hitting barriers set up for bridge repairs, coroner says
A Richland County man died in a hospital weeks after being involved in a crash on a Midlands road, the Sumter County Coroner’s Office said Wednesday.
Jarrod Skidmore, 39, died Tuesday at the Augusta Burn Center in Georgia as a result of his injuries from the accident, Coroner Robbie Baker said.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about midnight March 21 in Sumter County, according to Cpl. Tyler Tidwell of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Skidmore was driving a 2015 Ford west on U.S. 378, Tidwell said. Near S.C. 261 and the Wateree River Bridge, the Ford was going west in the eastbound lanes and crashed into a set of concrete barriers set in place for the ongoing bridge repairs, according to Baker.
The Ford then ran off the road, Tidwell said.
Tidwell said Skidmore was the only person in the Ford, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Skidmore was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the Ford to hit the barriers was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Sunday, 221 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least nine people have died in Sumter County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 29 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 8:54 AM.
