South Carolina man killed when ejected from SUV in overnight crash, coroner says

A South Carolina man was killed early Sunday morning when he was ejected from a vehicle that crashed into a tree, according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.

Kevin Parker, a 46-year-old Aiken resident, is the person who died in the single-vehicle collision, the coroner’s office said.

At about 2:30 a.m., Parker was a passenger in a 2011 Cadillac SUV that was driving south on Good Springs Road, said Master Trooper William Bennett of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. At the intersection with Confederate Road the SUV ran off the right side of Good Springs Road and crashed into two trees, according to Bennett.

Parker was ejected from the SUV and died at the scene, the coroner’s office said.

The driver was injured and taken to an area hospital, according to Bennett. Further information on the driver’s condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word if anybody involved in the wreck was wearing a seat belt.

Information about what caused the SUV to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office. An autopsy will be scheduled to be performed in Newberry, according to the coroner’s office.

Through Dec. 14, at least 847 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 21 people have died in Aiken County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 28 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription