Body found on the side of South Carolina road overnight, coroner says
A South Carolina man was killed overnight and a search is underway for the driver who left the scene of a hit-and-run crash, according to the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office.
Brandon James Butler, a 29-year-old Elgin area resident, was identified as the victim, Coroner David West said Thursday in a news release.
At about 1:30 a.m., 911 received a call after Butler’s body was found on the side of a road, according to the release.
The collision happened at about 12:15 a.m. in the 1200 block of Wildwood Lane, West said. That’s in the Elgin area, between I-77 and I-20.
Butler was riding a 2022 Solana moped when he was hit from the rear then spilled into the road, and the other vehicle drove away, according to Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the victim was wearing a helmet or any other protective gear, but the crash is being investigated by the Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Anyone with information about the collision, or the vehicle and driver involved, is asked to call the Highway Patrol at 803-896-9621 or 800-768-1503, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip. Tips can also be texted to *HP.
In the case of an emergency, always call 911.
“PLEASE come forward,” West said in the release.
Through Sunday, 195 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2026, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A minimum of 914 people were killed in collisions in South Carolina in 2025, DPS data shows.
At least four people have died in Kershaw County crashes this year, and 15 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.
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This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM.
