Update: Victims of fatal, fiery, four-vehicle crash on SC 22 named
The victims of the fatal crash involving four vehicles that blocked traffic for hours on Highway 22 near Highway 905 Wednesday have been revealed by the coroner’s office.
Two people died in the crash, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol. Earl Burnette, 49, of Loris, was one of the victims, and was ejected from his vehicle when it was pushed over a concrete bridge railing and into the water below in the crash, according to the coroner’s office. Flora Beltran-Gomez, 35, of Loris, was the second victim. Her vehicle was struck by a dump truck in the collision and caught fire.
Both victims are being sent for autopsy to confirm their injuries and causes of death.
The crash involved a commercial vehicle that caught fire, according to a Facebook post from Horry County Fire Rescue.
Crews worked to remove one vehicle from the Waccamaw River. Horry County Fire Rescue was dispatched to the crash at 4:28 p.m.
A dump truck traveling west on S.C. 22 ran into the back of a vehicle that was stopped for traffic, according to an email from Cpl. Nick Pye with the SCHP. That collision caused the 2017 Chevrolet SUV to strike a 2021 Jeep SUV and then the Jeep to strike a 2022 GMC pickup, Pye said.
The drivers of the Chevrolet SUV and the Jeep SUV were both killed, Pye said. The driver of the pickup truck was taken to the hospital with injuries.
The dump truck driver was not injured, Pye said.
All Aynor-bound lanes of traffic were closed Wednesday evening, and drivers were being detoured by law enforcement to turn around, according to an Horry County Police Facebook post. An alternate route was established by South Carolina Highway Patrol via old Highway 31 East, which runs parallel to Highway 22 between Highway 90 and Highway 905.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 7:14 PM.
