SC man killed in crash with truck whose driver was trying to escape police, cops say

One person was killed Saturday when his vehicle was hit by a pickup truck whose driver was being chased by police, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol[1]. David Rearden, an 85-year-old Edgefield resident, suffered blunt force trauma and died after the collision, the Greenwood County Coroner’s Office[2] said. The three-vehicle collision happened at about 12:50 a.m. at the intersection of U.S.

25 By Pass and Laurel Avenue West[3], said Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover of the Highway Patrol. Rearden was driving a 2023 Lincoln southbound on Laurel Avenue when the vehicle was hit by a westbound 2015 Dodge Ram pickup truck that was reportedly fleeing police on U.S.

25 By Pass, according to Glover. The pickup also collided with a 2019 Jeep that was also traveling west on U.S.

25 By Pass, Glover said. Rearden was taken to an area hospital, where he later died, according to the coroner’s office.

The pickup driver was also taken to an area hospital, Glover said. Further information on the pickup driver’s condition was not available. Glover said the Jeep’s driver was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

Information about why police were chasing the pickup was not available, but the crash remains under investigation by the SC Highway Patrol. Authorities did not disclose whether the unidentified pickup driver could be charged in the wreck. It is unknown whether any of the motorists were wearing restraints.

Through Wednesday, 899 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023[4], according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported. At least 15 people have died in Greenwood County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data.

There were 13 deaths reported in the county in 2022, DPS reported.

References

1. ^ South Carolina Highway Patrol (scdps.sc.gov)
2. ^ Greenwood County Coroner’s Office (www.greenwoodcounty-sc.gov)
3. ^ U.S.

   25 By Pass and Laurel Avenue West (www.google.com)

4. ^ 899 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023 (fatality-count-scdps.hub.arcgis.com)