Man killed in crash on South Carolina road is identified by coroner
A South Carolina resident was killed Saturday night in a crash on a Midlands road, according to the Sumter County Coroner’s Office.
Ernest McCants, a 54-year-old Sumter County resident, died in what Coroner Robbie Baker called an accident Sunday in a news release.
The collision happened at about 7 p.m. Saturday, said Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
McCants was walking north across Red Bay Road, near the intersection with High Street, according to Glover. As the pedestrian tried to cross the bridge that spans Turkey Creek, he was hit by a 2019 Kia that was driving west on Red Bay Road, Glover said.
McCants died at the scene from the injuries he suffered in the wreck, according to Baker.
The driver, who was the only person in the Kia, was hurt and taken to an area hospital, Glover said. Further information on the driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the driver was wearing a seatbelt, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
An autopsy is scheduled to be performed Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Baker said.
Through Feb. 8, at least 55 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 three people have died in Sumter County crashes this year, and 25 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.
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This story was originally published February 15, 2026 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Man killed in crash on South Carolina road is identified by coroner."
