SUV crashes into pickup truck, killing one driver and injuring the other, SC cops say

One driver died at the scene and another was airlifted to an area hospital late Saturday night following a head-on crash between an SUV and a pickup truck on a Midlands road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 11:40 p.m. in Lee County, said Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell.

A 2003 GMC Yukon was driving north on U.S. 15 and crossed left of center near the intersection with Golf Cart Road, according to Tidwell. That’s in the Bishopville area, about 1.5 miles from Exit 116 on Interstate 20.

The SUV crashed into a northbound 2009 Dodge Ram pickup truck, Tidwell said.

The GMC driver was killed and the Dodge driver was hurt and had to be flown the 30-plus miles to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, according to Tidwell. Further information on the Dodge driver’s condition was not available.

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

Tidwell said the drivers were the only occupants in the vehicles and no other injuries were reported.

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

Information about what caused the GMC to veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sept. 24, at least 766 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 seven people have died in Lee County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, six deaths were reported there, according to DPS data.