Driver killed after SUV hits mailboxes, utility pole and flips over, SC cops say
One person was killed in an early-morning crash outside of the Midlands, South Carolina Highway Patrol said Tuesday.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 12:30 a.m. on Murrah Road, near the intersection with McCain Road, Master Trooper Gary Miller said. That’s in the North Augusta area, close to the intersection with Edgefield Road.
A 2018 Toyota SUV was heading west on Murrah Road when it ran off the right side of the road and smashed into several mailboxes, according to Miller.
This caused the vehicle to lose control, and it hit a utility pole before flipping over down an embankment, Miller said.
The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt and was entrapped, died at the scene, according to Miller.
Edgefield County Coroner David Burnett identified the driver as 24-year-old Matthew Blaine Harley of North Augusta, the Aiken Standard reported.
Miller said the driver was the only person in the SUV, and no other injuries were reported.
Information on what caused the SUV to veer off the road was not available, but the crash is being investigated by Highway Patrol.
Through Monday afternoon, 830 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. Of those, 562 of the victims had access to seat belts, but 297 were not wearing them, DPS reported.
There have been at least seven people killed in Orangeburg County crashes in 2020, and seat belts were not used in at least six of the collisions, according to DPS.
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This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 9:01 AM with the headline "Driver killed after SUV hits mailboxes, utility pole and flips over, SC cops say."
