Driver killed when SUV runs off Columbia road and crashes into tree, SC cops say
One person was killed Sunday afternoon when an SUV crashed in Columbia, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 4:20 p.m. in Richland County, Master Trooper William Bennett said Monday.
A 2010 Jeep Cherokee was driving north on U.S. 21/Wilson Boulevard, according to Bennett. Near the intersection with Hastings Point Drive the SUV ran off the left side of Wilson Boulevard and crashed into a tree, Bennett said.
The driver, who was the only person in the SUV, was taken to Prisma Health Richland hospital and died there, Bennett said.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the driver.
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, that’s located between I-20 and I-77, was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 717 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 41 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 52 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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