Driver killed when pickup truck goes down embankment and crashes into tree, SC cops say

One person was killed late Monday night when a pickup truck ran off a road and crashed into a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol .

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 11 p.m. in McCormick County, Master Trooper Brandon Bolt said Wednesday. That’s near the Savannah River and the South Carolina-Georgia state line.

A 1997 Ford pickup was driving south on Resort Drive when it ran off the right side of the road and went down an embankment, according to Bolt. The pickup then crashed into a tree and the driver died, Bolt said.

The McCormick County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the driver.

Bolt said the driver was the only person in the pickup, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt.

Information about what caused the pickup to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sunday, 534 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least two people have died in McCormick County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data.