One person killed, another hospitalized in crash on South Carolina road, authorities say

One person was killed and another was hurt Saturday night in a crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Vernon E. Mundy, a 69-year-old Beech Island resident, was the person who died in the accident, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said.

The collision happened at about 8 p.m. in Aiken County, said Lance Cpl. Nick Pye of the Highway Patrol.

A 2022 Nissan Sentra was driving east on Sandbar Ferry Road, near the intersection with Swamp Road in the Beech Island area, when it hit Mundy, who was walking south across the road, according to Ables.

Mundy died at the scene, Ables said.

The Nissan driver was hurt and taken to an area hospital, according to Pye. Further information on the driver’s condition was not available.

Pye said there were two passengers in the Nissan, but they were not hurt. No other injuries were reported.

There was no word if anyone in the Nissan was wearing a seat belt.

Information about what caused the collision was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.

Through Wednesday, 75 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 999 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least nine people have died in Aiken County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 38 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.