South Carolina man killed in crash that left another driver hospitalized, coroner says
One person was killed and another was injured Tuesday in a crash on a Midlands road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Whiteford Cornell McWaters, a 53-year-old Summerville resident, died in the head-on crash, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said Wednesday in a news release.
The two-vehicle collision happened Tuesday at about 2:10 p.m. in Lexington County, said Master Trooper William Bennett of the Highway Patrol.
McWaters was driving a 2005 Mazda SUV north on U.S. 321 and, near the intersection with Wilbur Road, it was hit by a 2016 Dodge truck heading south in the northbound lane, according to Bennett. That’s in the Gaston area, near Exit 119 on Interstate 26.
The drivers were the only occupants in the respective vehicles, and both were taken to Lexington Medical Center, Bennett said.
McWaters, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the hospital, according to Fisher.
Further information on the Dodge driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the Dodge driver was wearing a seat belt.
Information about why the Dodge driver was heading toward oncoming traffic was not available, and there was no word if that driver is facing any criminal charges. The crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Monday, 322 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 19 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 45 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS said.
