SUV crashes into bridge on I-26, killing driver, SC Highway Patrol says

One person was killed Tuesday when an SUV crashed on a major interstate in the Midlands, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 2:30 a.m., near the 157 mile marker on Interstate 26, Lance Cpl. Nick Pye said. That’s in Orangeburg County, near the junction with U.S. 301 at Exit 154.

A 2017 Toyota SUV was driving toward Charleston in the eastbound lanes of I-26 when it ran off the right side of the road and hit the guard rail before crashing into a bridge pillar, according to Pye.

Pye said the driver died, but there was no word if it happened at the scene or if the driver was taken to an area hospital.

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

No other injuries were reported.

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

Information about why the SUV veered off I-26 was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

This is the third deadly collision in Orangeburg County since Sunday.

On Sunday, a 2009 Toyota four-door was driving west on S.C. 6 and ran off the left side of the road near Red Bank Road, where it hit a culvert and overturned several times, Jones said.

Also on Tuesday, one person was killed when a 2010 Ford truck was driving east on Vance Road, and near the intersection with U.S. 15 the pickup ran off the left side of the road and crashed into a tree, according to Pye. That’s near Exit 93 on Interstate 95.

Through Sunday, 628 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 22 people have died in Orangeburg County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, 45 deaths were reported there, according to DPS data.