South Carolina man killed in crash on I-26, Lexington County coroner says
A West Columbia man was killed Sunday when a car ran off Interstate 26 and crashed, according to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.
Jose Gomez Rivas, 24, died in what Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident.
At about 12:15 a.m., Rivas was driving a 2008 Mitsubishi sedan east on I-26, said Cpl. Nick Pye of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. At the 117 mile marker, in the West Columbia area of Lexington County, the car ran off the left side of I-26 where it hit a guard rail and flipped over as it crashed, according to Pye.
Rivas, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene, Fisher said.
Rivas was the only person in the Mitsubishi, according to Pye. No other injuries were reported.
Information about what caused the car to veer off I-26 was not available, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Aug. 3, at least 497 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 22 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 50 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 10:19 AM with the headline "South Carolina man killed in crash on I-26, Lexington County coroner says."
