22-year-old South Carolina man killed in early-morning crash, coroner says
A South Carolina man was killed in a recent crash, according to the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office.
Emilio R. Hernandez, a 22-year-old St. Stephen resident, died last Saturday in what Coroner Darnell Hartwell called an accident.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 6:30 a.m., said Master Trooper Gary Miller of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Hernandez was driving a 2002 GMC Denali west on Cainhoy Road, officials said. That’s in the Huger area, near the Cooper River, and about 27 miles from Charleston.
Near the intersection with Cedar Hill Lane the SUV ran off the right side of Cainhoy Road and overturned as it crashed, according to Miller.
Hernandez was taken to an area hospital where he died, and members of the coroner’s office responded by about 8 a.m., Hartwell said.
Miller said Hernandez was the only person in the SUV, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Hernandez was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the SUV to veer off the road was not available, but Hartwell said his office and the Highway Patrol are investigating the wreck.
Through Sunday, 817 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 27 people have died in Berkeley County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data.
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