Traffic

South Carolina man killed when pickup truck flips and crashes into tree, officials say

One person was recently killed when a pickup truck ran off Interstate 95 and crashed, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The single-vehicle collision happened Aug. 22 in Clarendon County, said Master Trooper Gary Miller.

At about 4:40 p.m., a Dodge pickup was driving south on I-95, according to Miller. At the 104 mile marker, the pickup veered off the left side of the highway and the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to flip and go off the right side of I-95, where it crashed into a tree, Miller said.

The pickup driver died, according to Miller.

The Clarendon County Coroner’s Office said 51-year-old North Charleston resident Vegas Poinsette was the driver who died, Manning Live reported.

Miller said Poinsette was the only person in the pickup, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt.

Information about what caused the pickup to originally veer off I-95 was not available, and Miller did not say if the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Aug. 18, at least 552 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least four people have died in Clarendon County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 15 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.

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Noah Feit
The State
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
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