Coroner identifies 47-year-old killed in single-car crash on Highway 31
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The Horry County Coroner’s Office has identified a 47-year-old who died Tuesday night after his SUV crashed and overturned on Highway 31.
Michael Smetanka of Indiana died at the scene of multiple traumatic injuries, Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said. It happened after Smetanka lost control of his SUV on the Highway 9 off ramp of Highway 31.
The crash happened at about 8:50 p.m. in the North Myrtle Beach area, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said. Smetanka was the only person in his vehicle.
Smetanka’s 2014 Jeep Patriot was traveling north on Highway 31 when it ran off the road to the right, hit a guard rail and overturned, highway patrol said.
Horry County Fire Rescue crews were dispatched at 8:57 p.m. Extrication operations were needed.
📲 Download the News13 app to stay updated on the go.
📧 Sign up for WBTW email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.
💻 Find today’s top stories on WBTW.com for the Grand Strand and Pee Dee.
No additional information was available. Count on News13 for updates.
* * *
Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
* * *
Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13’s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylor’s work here.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
