Lexington County man killed in crash with tractor trailer on SC road, coroner says
One person was killed in a crash involving a tractor trailer and a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Jerome Montgomery, a 56-year-old Gaston resident, was identified as the driver who died in last week’s accident, Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill said Monday in a news release.
The two-vehicle collision happened Sept. 20 at about 6:15 p.m. in Fairfield County, said Cpl. Tyler Tidwell.
Both a 2019 Nissan, driven by Montgomery, and a 1992 Peterbilt tractor trailer were going south on U.S. 21, according to Tidwell. When the tractor trailer turned left at the intersection with Old 21, the Nissan collided with the 18-wheeler, Tidwell said.
After hitting the tractor trailer, the Nissan ran off the left side of the road and crashed into a tree, according to Tidwell.
Montgomery was taken to an area hospital and died there, Hill said. An autopsy has been scheduled with Newberry Pathology to confirm Montgomery’s cause of death, according to the coroner’s office.
Tidwell said the driver was the only person the tractor trailer and was not hurt. No other injuries were reported in the crash that continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Hill said that Montgomery was wearing a seat belt, but there was no word if the tractor trailer driver was wearing safety restraints.
This was at least the third deadly crash involving a tractor trailer in South Carolina in a four day stretch.
Two people were killed and another was hurt when a tractor trailer and a motorcycle crashed Sunday in Laurens County, according to the Highway Patrol.
Earlier Wednesday, a pedestrian died after being hit by a tractor trailer and an SUV in Darlington County, the Highway Patrol said.
Through Monday, 722 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least eight people have died in Fairfield County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, nine deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published September 21, 2023 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Lexington County man killed in crash with tractor trailer on SC road, coroner says."
