Driver trying to escape law enforcement killed in crash where car flips, SC cops say
A driver who was trying to get away from a law enforcement officer was killed late Saturday night when a car ran off a Midlands road and crashed, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 11:50 p.m. in Clarendon County, said Master Trooper Gary Miller.
The driver of a 2005 Honda Accord was going south on Luke Godwin Road and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, according to Miller. Information about why law enforcement was chasing the driver was not available, and there was no word on the agency, or agencies, involved in the pursuit.
Near the intersection with Wash Davis Road the driver lost control of the Honda, which ran off the left side of Luke Godwin Road and crashed into a ditch before flipping over, Miller said.
The driver was the only person in the Honda and died, according to Miller. There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt.
The Clarendon County Coroner’s Office identified the driver as 33-year-old Summerton resident Tonnie Leon Lawson Jr., WLTX reported.
No other injuries were reported.
Miller did not say if the Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.
Through Wednesday, 231 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 three people have died in Clarendon County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 15 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published April 15, 2024 at 8:13 AM with the headline "Driver trying to escape law enforcement killed in crash where car flips, SC cops say."
