Driver killed when car runs off SC road and crashes into tree, cops say
One person was killed over the weekend in an early morning crash just outside the Midlands, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 5:25 a.m. Sunday in Laurens County, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt.
A 2016 Dodge coupe was driving west on S.C. 56, according to Bolt. Near the intersection with Young Road, the Dodge ran off the right side of S.C. 56 and hit a ditch before crashing into a tree, Bolt said. That’s not far from I-26 and the Newberry County line.
The driver was the only person in the Dodge and died, according to Bolt.
The Laurens 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 Dodge to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Oct. 26, at least 733 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 16 people have died in Laurens County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 15 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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