One dead, two others injured when SUV crashes into tree, SC Highway Patrol says

One person is dead and two others are hospitalized after an SUV crashed into a tree overnight, South Carolina Highway Patrol said Sunday.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday, near the intersection of South Sansbury and Oak Stump roads, according to Lance Cpl. Nick Pye. That’s in Darlington County and about 11 miles from Darlington Raceway, the home of NASCAR’s Southern 500.

Three people were in a 2008 GMC SUV that was driving north on South Sansbury Road, Pye said. The SUV ran off the right side of the road and smashed into a tree, according to Pye.

Both the driver and a back-seat passenger were taken to an area hospital, Pye said. Further information on their conditions was not available.

A front-seat passenger was killed, according to Pye. The Darlington County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the crash victim after notifying the next of kin.

No other injuries were reported.

None of the occupants in the SUV wore a seat belt, Pye said.

There was no word on what caused the SUV to veer off the road, but the collision is being investigated by Highway Patrol.

Through Friday afternoon, 986 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, state Department of Public Safety data shows. Of those, 657 of the victims had access to seat belts, but 318 were not wearing them, DPS reported.

At least 20 people have been killed in Darlington County crashes in 2021, and 11 of them were not wearing seat belts, DPS reported.