South Carolina man dies after pickup truck hits ditch and flips over, officials say

Noah Feit
·1 min read
2

A South Carolina man died days after being involved in a crash on a Midlands road, officials said.

Marcelino Rojas, a 57-year-old Newberry resident, died Nov. 29, Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece said.

The single-vehicle collision happened Nov. 27 in Newberry County, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Rojas was driving a 1997 Ford pickup truck east on S.C. 34 when the vehicle ran off the right side of the road and hit a ditch then flipped over, Bolt said.

Rojas was airlifted by helicopter to Prisma Health Richland hospital where he died, officials said.

Bolt said Rojas was the only person in the pickup, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if Rojas was wearing a seat belt.

Information about what caused the pickup to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.

Through Wednesday, 881 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least eight people have died in Newberry County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. There were 10 deaths reported in the county in 2022, DPS reported.