Driver killed when truck runs off SC road and crashes into a tree, cops say
One person was killed Wednesday when a pickup truck ran off a Richland County road near Interstate 26 and crashed into a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 1:30 p.m., said Cpl. Nick Pye.
A 2001 Ford pickup was driving south on Rauch Metz Road, according to Pye. Near the intersection with Broad River Road the pickup ran off the right side of Rauch Metz Road and crashed into a tree, Pye said. That’s in the Irmo area, close to Exit 97 on I-26.
The pickup driver died, according to Pye.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the driver.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the driver was wearing a seatbelt.
Information about what caused the pickup to veer off the road was not available, but the wreck continues to investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 822 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 46 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 52 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 7:54 AM with the headline "Driver killed when truck runs off SC road and crashes into a tree, cops say."
