A tree fell in a South Carolina road overnight and a driver was killed, cops say

A tractor-trailer driver died Thursday in an early morning crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The single-vehicle collision happened on Leesville Church Road, near Forest Road, in Laurens County, said Master Trooper Gary Miller. That’s near Exit 2 on Interstate 385.

At about 2:45 a.m., a northbound 2006 Kenworth hit a tree that had fallen in Leesville Church Road and the driver died, according to Miller.

The Laurens County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the driver.

Miller said the driver was the only person in the tractor trailer, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt.

Records show nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain had fallen in Laurens County at the time of the crash, and 33 mph wind gusts were recorded in the hour before the wreck. But there was no indication about what caused the tree to fall in the road, or if the severe weather reported in South Carolina played a factor in the collision.

Further details about the crash were not available, and Miller did not say if the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sunday, 302 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least five people have died in Laurens County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 26 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.