A pickup truck driver died Monday morning around 7:12-7:15 a.m. after their vehicle ran off Wagener Highway near Rhoda Rish Road in Lexington County (Leesville area), striking a ditch, utility pole, fence, and finally a tree. The driver tried to exit the still-moving 2002 Ford F-350 (towing a trailer) and was tragically run over; a passenger escaped unharmed.
Key crash facts
No identity released yet—contact Lexington County Coroner’s Office at (803) 359-8439 for updates.
South Carolina Highway Patrol is probing the cause (no seatbelt info or factors like speed/distractions public).
This marks Lexington County’s 12th+ traffic fatality in 2026 (40 in 2025), part of SC’s 119 road deaths so far.
Rural two-lane highways like Wagener demand extra caution, especially with trailers—stay buckled until fully stopped. Sad, preventable loss.
