South Carolina man killed when ejected from SUV in crash, officials say
A South Carolina man was killed when he was thrown from a crashing SUV, officials said.
Carl Cagney O’Kelley, a 39-year-old Westminster resident, died Sunday afternoon in the single-vehicle accident, Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said.
At about 4:35 p.m. Sunday, O’Kelley was driving a 2002 Chevrolet SUV west on Cleveland Pike Road, according to Lance Cpl. Nick Pye of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s not far from the South Carolina-Georgia state line.
Near the intersection with Fountain Falls Road, the Chevy SUV ran off the left side of Cleveland Pike Road and hit a ditch, Pye said.
O’Kelley was ejected from the SUV after the Chevy overturned and he died at the scene, according to Addis.
Pye said the driver was the only person in the SUV, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if O’Kelley was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the Chevy to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Monday, 980 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2023 and 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. In 2022, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 12 people died in Oconee County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. There were 16 deaths reported in the county in 2022, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published January 2, 2024 at 8:24 AM with the headline "South Carolina man killed when ejected from SUV in crash, officials say."
