SC 21-year-old killed in early-morning crash with utility trailer, officials say

A 21-year-old was killed early Sunday morning when the SUV he was driving flipped and crashed, according to South Carolina officials.

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Matthew Dale Barton, a 21-year-old from Greenville, is the driver who died, the Pickens County Coroner’s Office said.

Barton was driving a 1998 Ford Explorer west on Pelzer Highway in the Easley area of Pickens County, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. At the intersection with Tinsley Drive the Ford SUV ran off the right side of the road then overcorrected and overturned before crashing into a utility trailer, according to Bolt.

Barton, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was taken to an area hospital where he died, the coroner’s office said.

A passenger in the SUV was hurt and also taken to an area hospital, according to Bolt. Further information on the passenger’s condition, or if they were wearing a seatbelt, was not available.

Read more SC 21-year-old killed in early-morning crash with utility trailer, officials say

No other injuries were reported.

Information about what caused the SUV to veer off the road was not available, but the wreck is being investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office. An autopsy has been scheduled, according to the coroner’s office.

Through Sunday, at least 685 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2026, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A minimum of 914 people were killed in collisions in South Carolina in 2025, DPS data shows.

At least 14 people have died in Pickens County crashes this year, and 16 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.