Car runs off road where it flips and crashes into trees, killing driver, SC cops say

A man was killed Sunday night when a car ran off a Midlands road and crashed into multiple objects, according to South Carolina officials.

Damion R. Gantt, a 30-year-old Saluda resident, died in the single-vehicle collision, the Saluda County Coroner’s Office said.

The wreck happened at about 9:10 p.m., according to Lance Cpl. Lena Butler of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Gantt was driving a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro north on Pencreek Road, Butler said. Near the intersection with Dean Road the Chevy ran off the right side of Pencreek Road and hit a culvert, wire and fence, causing the car to flip, according to Butler.

The Chevy then crashed into two large trees before coming to rest in the yard of a home, the coroner’s office said.

Gantt died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office.

Butler said Gantt was the only person in the car, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if Gantt was wearing a seat belt.

Information about what caused the Chevy to veer off the road was not available, but the coroner’s office said both it and the Highway Patrol are continuing to investigate the wreck.

In addition to both of those agencies, the Saluda County Fire Service, Saluda County EMS, Saluda County Sheriff’s Office and Saluda Police Department responded to the scene.

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 four people have died in Saluda County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data.