Unexpected collision on I-20 causes truck to crash into tree, SC cops say

One person was killed early Monday morning when the pickup truck they were driving on Interstate 20 collided with a deer before crashing into a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

George Woodrow Stoudemire III, a 55-year-old Lexington resident, was the man who died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 6:15 a.m. on a stretch of I-20 that’s in Lexington County, said Master Trooper William Bennett.

Stoudemire was driving a 2024 Ford Maverick west on I-20, toward Aiken County, when the pickup collided with a deer, according to Bennett. The pickup then ran off the left side of the interstate and crashed into a tree, Bennett said.

Stoudemire, who was wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene, according to Fisher.

Bennett said Stoudemire was the only person in the pickup, and no other injuries were reported.

The crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.

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 30 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 50 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.

This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 1:39 PM.