South Carolina man killed when tractor trailer overturns, officials say
A South Carolina man was killed Saturday morning when the tractor trailer he was driving crashed and overturned, officials said.
Larry L. Priester, a 38-year-old Barnwell County resident, died in what the Aiken County Coroner’s Office called an accident.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 7:15 a.m., according to Master Trooper William Bennett of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Priester was driving a 2015 Freightliner tractor trailer north on S.C. 19/Edgefield Highway, according to Bennett. Near the intersection with Old Friar Road the semi truck ran off the right side of the road and overturned, Bennett said. That’s not far from Exit 18 on Interstate 20.
At about 8:30 a.m., Priester died at the scene, Coroner Darryl Ables said.
Bennett said Priester was the only person in the tractor trailer, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Priester was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what caused the tractor trailer to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office. An autopsy will be performed in Newberry, according to Ables.
Through Aug. 4, at least 534 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 20 people have died in Aiken County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 38 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
