Coroner identifies trucker killed in I-26 crash

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - It was a tough afternoon Thursday for many commuters heading home westbound on I-26 Thursday following a series of wrecks, including one which claimed a life.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol says one person died in a tractor trailer accident in the area of exit 199 in Berkeley County.

The Berkeley County Coroner's Office says around 4:30 p.m., the truck was traveling east on I-26 near mile marker 198 when it ran off the left side of the roadway and hit several trees.

Clyde Bennett, 52, of Augusta Ga. was pronounced dead on the scene by Coroner Bill Salisbury. The accident is being investigated by the coroner's office, highway patrol, and the State Transport Police.

According to the coroner, the death has been ruled accidental with the cause of death as head and body trauma. Salisbury said that Bennett was wearing his seatbelt.

Another accident involved five cars in the area of mile marker 210 on I-26. Authorities had shut down all westbound lanes in the area after one of the cars caught fire.

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