‘Check on your Wingmen,’ Air Force says after active duty member killed in car crash
An active duty member of the U.S. Air Force was killed in an overnight car crash on a Midlands Road, the Sumter County Coroner’s Office said Sunday.
Senior Airman Devin McDonald was killed in the accident, Coroner Robbie Baker said. The 25-year-old Dalzell resident died at the scene, according to Baker.
McDonald was assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, military officials said.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 2 a.m., in the 2100 block of U.S. 521/Thomas Sumter Highway, Baker said. That’s near the intersection with Mason Road, less than 10 miles from Shaw Air Force Base, Baker told The State.
McDonald was driving a 2007 Toyota Scion south on U.S. 521 when it ran off the right side of the road, said Master Trooper David Jones of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The Toyota then hit an embankment and flipped over several times and McDonald was ejected, according to Jones.
An autopsy will be performed on Tuesday at The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Baker said.
Information about what caused the Toyota to veer off the road was not available, but the crash is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
“We lost a member of our wing this morning in a car accident,” Air Force officials said in a post on Shaw’s Facebook page. “Please check on your Wingmen and seek help if needed. Our first shirts and helping agencies are standing by.”
The 20th Fighter Wing is the largest and most active F-16 unit in the Air Force. It has roots in World War I, was formed in World War II, has fought in every major U.S. conflict since, and has often been the “tip of spear” in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Through Thursday, 428 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 15 people have died in Sumter County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, 31 deaths were reported there, and five involved a pedestrian, according to DPS data.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2022 at 1:40 PM with the headline "‘Check on your Wingmen,’ Air Force says after active duty member killed in car crash."
