Driver killed when pickup truck crashes into highway sign and tree, SC cops say

One person was killed Wednesday afternoon when a pickup truck ran off a Columbia-area road and crashed into multiple objects, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 4:35 p.m. in Richland County, said Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover.

A 2018 Ford F-150 was driving north on Fish Hatchery Road when it ran off the left side of the road near the intersection with Kimmey Road, according to Glover. That’s in the Gaston area, between U.S. 321 and Interstate 20.

The pickup crashed into a highway sign before hitting a tree, and the driver died at the scene, Glover said.

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

Glover 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, and Glover did not say if the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sunday, 597 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 32 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 61 deaths in the county in 2023, DPS reported.