1 dead, 1 hurt in head-on crash in Chester County near Catawba River, troopers say

One man was killed and another man was hurt Thursday in a head-on crash in South Carolina near the Catawba River in Chester County. The crashe blocked a main commuter road for hours, officials said.

The collision happened around 6:30 a.m. on U.S. 21 between Fort Lawn and the York County line, said Master Trooper Gary Miller of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

The driver of a 2002 Chevy S-10 Blazer died at the scene after his vehicle struck a 1997 truck pulling a trailer, Miller said.

The collision was head-on, Miller said.

The identity and residence of the man who died has not yet been released because family has not been notified, said Terry Tinker, Chester County Coroner.

The driver of the truck pulling the trailer was a 71-year-old man from Winnsboro in Fairfield County, troopers said. That man was injured and taken to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill for treatment, officials said. The man’s condition was unavailable Thursday afternoon.

The fatal crash remains under investigation by the S.C. Department of Public Safety and the coroner’s office.

The highway fatality is the fifth in Chester County in 2022, according to public safety statistics.

U.S. 21 is a main route for commercial and commuter traffic in eastern Chester County.

The collision blocked the road for several hours. Vehicles during the morning commute had to be detoured as power poles and lines affected by the wreck were repaired, emergency officials with the Richburg Fire & Rescue department said in a social media post.

Check back for updates on this developing story.