Barnwell County Man Dies in Tractor-Trailer Crash

Larry L. Priester, a 38-year-old man from Barnwell County, was killed in a single-vehicle accident involving his 2015 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer on Edgefield Highway near Old Friar Road on Saturday morning. The crash occurred around 7:15 a.m., with reports indicating the vehicle ran off the right side of the road and overturned. Priester was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:30 a.m., and an autopsy is scheduled in Newberry. The South Carolina Highway Patrol and Aiken County Coroner's Office are investigating the circumstances of the crash, which remains unclear at this time. No other injuries were reported as Priester was the sole occupant of the vehicle. This incident adds to the troubling statistics of road fatalities in South Carolina, with over 534 deaths reported in 2024 alone.