Driver killed when car runs off SC road and crashes into tree, cops say
A South Carolina man was recently killed when the car he was driving crashed into a tree, officials said.
David Lee, a 32-year-old McClellanville resident, died in what the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office called an accident.
The single-vehicle collision happened in Berkeley County at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Cpl. Nick Pye of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Lee was driving a 2008 Toyota sedan south on S.C. 41, according to Pye. Near the intersection with Jericho Horse Trail the Toyota ran off the right side of the road and crashed into a tree, Pye said. That’s close to Little Hellhole Bay in the Cordesville area.
Lee died at the scene from the injuries he suffered in the wreck, according to the coroner’s office.
Pye said that Lee was the only person in the car, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Lee was wearing a seatbelt.
Information about what caused the Toyota to veer off the road was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through April 26, at least 249 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 12 people have died in Berkeley County crashes this year, and 34 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.
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