SUV runs off Columbia road and down embankment into tree, killing driver, SC cops say
One person was killed Wednesday when an SUV ran off a Richland County road and crashed into a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 7:25 a.m., said Master Trooper William Bennett.
A 2019 Kia SUV was driving east on Old Kelly Mill Road in Columbia, and at the intersection with Kelly Mill Road it ran off the right side of the road, according to Bennett.
The SUV went down an embankment and crashed into a tree, Bennett said.
The SUV driver was taken to Prisma Health Richland hospital and later died, according to Bennett.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the driver.
Bennett said the driver was the only person in the SUV, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the SUV to veer off the road was not available, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 629 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 36 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 61 deaths in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
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