South Carolina Drivers Die in Separate Deer and Tree Collisions

Two fatal single-vehicle crashes involving collisions with trees occurred in South Carolina early this week. On Monday morning, a driver in a 2024 Ford Maverick struck a deer on westbound I-20 near Batesburg-Leesville in Lexington County, causing the vehicle to leave the road and hit a tree; the driver died at the scene. On Sunday afternoon in Richland County, a 2010 Jeep Cherokee ran off the left side of Wilson Boulevard near Hastings Point Drive and crashed into a tree; the driver was hospitalized but later died. Both incidents are under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. These crashes contribute to a rising toll on South Carolina roads in 2025, with 717 deaths reported so far, including 41 in Richland County alone. Separately, a fatal crash in Florida involved a 76-year-old male whose pickup truck went airborne after failing to stop at an intersection before hitting a tree and dying at the scene.