One person killed in hit-and-run crash on South Carolina road, cops say
One person was killed Monday in a late night hit-and-run crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Bernard Washington Jr., a 36-year-old Orangeburg resident, is the pedestrian who died in what Orangeburg County Coroner Sean Fogle called an accident.
The collision happened at about 11:15 p.m. in Orangeburg County, said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway.
Washington was walking in the westbound lane of Citadel Road, near the intersection with Regional Parkway, when the pedestrian was hit by an unknown vehicle driving west, according to Ridgeway.
The vehicle drove away, Ridgeway said. Washington suffered blunt force injuries and died at the scene, the coroner’s office said.
No other injuries were reported in the crash that’s still being investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
The hit-and-run collision happened near St. Matthews Road in Orangeburg, which is an area densely packed with hotels and restaurants.
Anyone with information about the collision, or the vehicle and driver involved, is asked to call the Highway Patrol at 803-896-9621 or 800-768-1503, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip. Tips can also be texted to *HP.
In the case of an emergency, always call 911.
Through Sunday, 289 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2026, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A minimum of 914 people were killed in collisions in South Carolina in 2025, DPS data shows.
At least eight people have died in Orangeburg County crashes this year, and 31 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 8:07 AM with the headline "One person killed in hit-and-run crash on South Carolina road, cops say."
