Fiery crash leaves one driver dead, another in a hospital, SC officials say
One person was killed and another was injured Monday in a head-on crash between an SUV and pickup truck, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
Charli Lee Chasteen, a 25-year-old Honea Path resident, died at the scene of the accident, Greenwood County Coroner Sonny Cox said.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 10:40 a.m. in Greenwood County, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the Highway Patrol.
Chasteen was driving a 2018 Ford SUV north on S.C. 254/Cokesbury Road, Bolt said. In the 4600 block, the SUV crossed the center line into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into a southbound 2015 Dodge Ram that is property of the Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works, officials said.
The SUV immediately became engulfed in flames, and Chasteen suffered multiple blunt force trauma in addition to thermal burns, according to Cox.
The pickup driver, the only person in the truck, was airlifted by helicopter to an area hospital, Bolt said. Further information on the pickup driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if either driver was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the SUV to swerve into oncoming traffic was not available, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Sunday, 346 people had 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 six people have died in Greenwood County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 13 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published May 16, 2023 at 11:52 AM.
