Sunday crash claims one life
The second fatal crash of 2009 on Aiken County roadways occurred Sunday around 8 a.m.
The single-vehicle accident claimed the life of Aiken resident Roger G. Smith.
According to the Aiken County Coroner's Office Chief Deputy Tim Carlton, Smith, 62, was pronounced dead at the scene after sustaining multiple body trauma when his vehicle left the roadway, overturned several times and came to rest on its roof. Smith was the lone occupant of the 1999 Mazada 626 sedan, travelling north on New Holland Road. The accident occurred less than a mile from Shaws Fork Road near 640 New Holland Road.
Lance Corporal Joseph Robinson of the S.C. Highway Patrol reports, "the vehicle drove off the right shoulder and struck an embankment, causing the vehicle to overturn several times. The vehicle struck a tree with the left rear of the vehicle."
Despite wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident, Smith was partially ejected from the vehicle when it overturned. Toxicology is pending, and the crash is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Aiken County Coroner's Office.