Lexington County man killed in crash on I-26 that involved pickup truck, SC officials say

One person was killed Sunday night in a crash on a part of Interstate 26 that runs through Lexington County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Clayton Wesley Barrs, a 68-year-old West Columbia resident, died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident.

The collision happened at about 7:45 p.m. at the 111 mile marker on the westbound side of I-26, said Lance Cpl. Lena Butler of the Highway Patrol. That’s in West Columbia, near the junction with U.S. 1/Augusta Road.

A 2002 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was driving west on I-26, according to Butler. Barrs was walking east in westbound lanes when he was hit by the pickup, Fisher said.

Barrs died at the scene, according to Butler.

Butler said neither the pickup driver nor a passenger were hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

The driver stopped and remained on scene, according to Fisher.

There was no word if either of the people in the pickup were wearing seat belts.

Information about what led to the collision was not available, but Fisher said it continues to be investigated by her office and the Highway Patrol.

Through Oct. 27, at least 806 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 43 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 45 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS said.

This story was originally published November 4, 2024 at 6:54 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

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