SC man killed when truck crashes into tree and ditch is identified by coroner
A pickup driver died in the hospital early Sunday morning, hours after the truck crashed into a tree, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The victim was 61-year-old Aiken resident Billy D. Graham, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said.
The single-vehicle collision happened Saturday night in Aiken County, according to Lance Cpl. Lena Butler of the Highway Patrol.
At about 8:50 p.m., the 1998 Ford F-150 Graham was driving ran off the right side of Chime Bell Church Road and hit a tree before crashing into a ditch, Butler said.
Graham was taken to a hospital in Augusta and died there at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Ables.
There was no word if Graham was wearing a seat belt.
Butler said Graham was the only person in the pickup, and no other injuries were reported.
Information about why the pickup veered off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office. Toxicology analysis is pending, Ables said.
Through Thursday, 612 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 24 people have died in Aiken County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 29 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published August 13, 2023 at 12:08 PM with the headline "SC man killed when truck crashes into tree and ditch is identified by coroner."
