A driver died and another was injured Friday morning when a southbound Kia swerved to avoid a turning utility truck and slammed head-on into a pickup truck on North Lake Drive near Pilgrim Church Road in Lexington County, triggering a chain-reaction crash involving four vehicles. The collision happened at about 10:20 a.m., South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
According to WIS News 10, a utility truck, a Chevrolet Silverado and a Nissan Altima were all traveling north on North Lake Drive when the utility truck attempted to turn left onto Pilgrim Church Road. The driver of a southbound Kia Sorento tried to avoid hitting the turning truck and instead struck the Silverado head-on. The impact sent the Silverado into the Altima, completing the four-vehicle pileup. Separate reporting from WLTX identified the vehicles as a 2024 utility truck, a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2026 Nissan Altima and a 2017 Kia Sorento, with South Carolina Highway Patrol providing crash information through Master Trooper William Bennett.
Pickup Driver Dies, Kia Driver Hospitalized
The Silverado driver, who was the pickup's only occupant, was transported by EMS for treatment but later died from injuries sustained in the crash, the station's report states. The Kia driver, also the sole occupant of that vehicle, was injured and transported by EMS for treatment. The two people riding in the utility truck and the two occupants of the Nissan Altima were not hurt, per the same account.
Roads Reopened After Investigation
North Lake Drive, Old Cherokee Road and Pilgrim Church Road were all shut down while troopers investigated the scene but have since reopened, according to ABC Columbia. South Carolina Highway Patrol said the collision remains under investigation.
A Stretch With a History of Wrecks
The crash adds to a troubling pattern along North Lake Drive. A nearby segment of the road between Columbia Avenue and Sunset Boulevard recorded 209 wrecks and 50 injuries in an analysis by The State, which also found that collisions along Lexington County's busiest corridors were slightly more common in fall and tended to cluster in the afternoon hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. About five years ago, another multi-vehicle crash in the 1800 block of North Lake Drive killed 52-year-old David E. Burk of Irmo, according to the South West Lexington Ledger, which reported that Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher identified him and that occupants of the other two vehicles involved were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Countywide, the toll from traffic crashes has been steep in recent years. The State reported that at least four people had died in Lexington County crashes through a comparable point in 2023, after 43 deaths were recorded countywide the year before.
