Man who led law enforcement on chase killed in crash, South Carolina coroner says
A driver who led law enforcement officers on a chase early Monday morning was killed in a crash that left a passenger hospitalized, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Michael Bailey — a 39-year-old Norfolk, Virginia, resident — died in what Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables called an accident.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 12:50 a.m., said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the Highway Patrol.
Bailey was driving a 2017 Kia SUV south on Laurens Street Northwest in Aiken, as he tried to evade law enforcement, according to Ridgeway. Information about why Bailey was being pursued by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office was not available.
Near the intersection with Hampton Avenue Northwest the SUV ran off the left side of the road, where it overturned and crashed into a tree, Ridgeway said.
Bailey died at the scene at 1:20 a.m., according to Ables.
A passenger in the SUV was taken to Wellstar MCG hospital in Augusta, Georgia, Ables said. Further information on the passenger’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if either Bailey or his passenger were wearing seat belts.
Information about how fast the SUV was going when it veered off the road was not available, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office. An autopsy will be performed in Newberry, Ables said.
Through Nov. 10, at least 837 people have 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 Aiken County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 38 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 9:38 AM.
