Yemassee man dead after striking a tree in his truck Thursday night

A Yemassee man is dead after a fatal car crash in Jasper County on Thursday night.

At around 11:50 p.m., Richard Miles, 25, was driving North on Possum Corner Rd, 16 miles North of Ridgeland, in his 2007 GMC pickup when he swerved off the right side of the road into a ditch. Miles then returned to pavement but traveled off the left side hitting a tree and overturning his truck, according to Master Sgt. Brandon Bolt with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Miles’ cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to Jasper County Coroner Willie Aiken

He was the only person in the truck when he crashed. He was not believed to be wearing a seat-belt, Aiken said.

The vehicle’s speed at the time of the crash and any involvement of alcohol is unknown as the accident is still under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.