Police officer in the line of duty was killed in crash with tractor trailer, SC cops say

A Newberry police officer responding to a call was killed Wednesday when the patrol car he was driving collided with a tractor trailer, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol and a news release from Police Chief Kevin Goodman.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 5:40 p.m. in Newberry County, said Cpl. David Jones of the Highway Patrol.

The officer’s 2015 Ford Taurus was driving south on S.C. 395 and collided with a 2022 Freightliner tractor trailer at the intersection with S.C. 34, according to Jones. That’s south of downtown Newberry, about 2 miles from the Newberry College campus

Both drivers were injured and taken to an area hospital where the Ford driver later died, Jones said.

Neither Goodman nor the Newberry County Coroner’s Office has publicly identified the officer.

In the hours immediately following the crash, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office asked its followers on Facebook to “Please keep the Newberry City Police and all law enforcement in your prayers.”

Messages left with Newberry City Police and the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office were not immediately returned.

Further information on the tractor trailer driver’s condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word if either of the drivers were wearing seat belts, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Goodman asked for the “officer’s family and the community be lifted in prayer as we try to find peace in this tragedy,” according to the release.

Through Sunday, 561 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least five people have died in Newberry County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 10 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.