One driver killed, another hospitalized from head-on crash, South Carolina cops say
One driver was killed and another was hospitalized over the weekend after a car and SUV crashed, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Guclu Yertut, a 54-year-old Georgetown resident, was identified as the driver who died, Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell said Tuesday.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 6:15 p.m. Sunday in Berkeley County, according to Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the Highway Patrol.
Yertut was driving a 2014 Kia Soul north on U.S. 17A in the Bonneau area, Hartwell said. Near the intersection with Diamondback Lane the car crossed left of the center line and crashed head-on with a 2024 Mitsubishi SUV that was driving south on U.S. 17A, according to Ridgeway.
Yertut died at the scene, Hartwell said.
The SUV driver was injured and taken to an area hospital, according to Ridgeway. Further information on the SUV driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if either driver was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the Kia to veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office are continuing to investigate the collision.
Through Sunday, 151 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 999 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least six people have died in Berkeley County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 60 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2024 at 1:27 PM with the headline "One driver killed, another hospitalized from head-on crash, South Carolina cops say."
