News anchor dies in head-on US 17 crash

WTOC anchor Don Logana died in an early morning car crash in Jasper County, the news station announced and Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls III confirmed on Sunday morning.

The two-vehicle, head-on collision occurred around 4 a.m. on U.S. 17 near the Georgia state line, South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Matt Southern said Sunday morning. There was only one fatality in the crash near 425 Speedway Blvd.

Logana was a back-seat passenger and one of four occupants of a car heading north on U.S. 17, Southern said. The second vehicle, a pickup truck, was traveling south on U.S. 17 when the two vehicles collided.

The driver and two other passengers in the car were injured and transported by EMS for Savannah Memorial Hospital, Southern said. The driver and only occupant of the truck also was injured and was taken to Savannah Memorial Hospital by private vehicle.

The Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, Southern said.

“Don was not only a valued member of our WTOC family but a trusted friend to all,” said Larry Silbermann, WTOC 11 vice president and general manager, in a statement.

Added WTOC 11 News Director Scott Galloway: “Don was a great guy and such a big part of WTOC and our newsroom family, his loss has left us with a huge void that will be tough to fill.”

Logana was originally from Syracuse, N.Y., where he also began his career in television news. He had been covering Savannah and Hilton Head Island news for over 12 years.

Logana was the weekday morning anchor at WTOC and also was an investigative reporter.

Fans and friends posted messages on his page throughout the day on Sunday mourning his loss.

Connect Savannah named Logana Best Local TV News Anchor 2016, saying he “raised the bar for on-air news reporting in this market.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2016 at 10:42 AM with the headline "News anchor dies in head-on US 17 crash."