Driver killed when truck smashes into mailbox and fence, SC coroner says
A South Carolina man was killed from the injuries he suffered in a recent crash, according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.
Ernest M. Gleaton, a 77-year-old Wagener resident, died Tuesday, the day after he was involved in a crash, Coroner Darryl Ables said in a news release.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 9:25 a.m. Monday, according to the release.
Gleaton was driving a 2007 Ford F-150 south on Festival Trail Road, the coroner’s office said. Near the intersection with Airport Road the pickup ran off the right side of the road where it hit a mailbox and then a culvert before crashing into a chain-link fence, according to the release.
Gleaton was taken to Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, where he died at 10:23 a.m. Tuesday, the coroner’s office said.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Gleaton was wearing a seatbelt.
Information about what caused the Ford F-150 to veer off the road was not available, but the crash is being investigated by the coroner’s office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Results of toxicology tests are pending, Ables said.
Through Sunday, 277 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 10 people have died in Aiken County crashes this year, and 23 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 8:09 AM with the headline "Driver killed when truck smashes into mailbox and fence, SC coroner says."
