South Carolina man killed when car crashes into tree, coroner says

A South Carolina man was killed Saturday when his car crashed into a tree, according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office .

Kevon Parker, a 33-year-old Johnston resident, died in the accident, Coroner Darryl Ables said.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 4:05 p.m., according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol .

Parker was driving a 2005 Pontiac sedan south on Chinquapin Church Road, in the Monetta area, Bolt said. That’s about a mile from the Big Mo Drive In Theatre.

In the 1100 block of Chinquapin Church Road, the car ran off the right side of the road in a curve, then over corrected and swerved across the lanes and off the left side of the road, according to Ables.

The car then hit an embankment and crashed into a tree, Bolt said.

Parker suffered blunt force injuries and died at the scene, according to Ables.

Bolt said Parker was the only person in the car, and no other injuries were reported.

Parker was not wearing a seat belt, Ables said.

The crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office. Results of toxicology tests are pending, according to Ables.

As of April 23, 270 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 13 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.