OCONEE COUNTY, S.C. — According to a South Carolina television station, a driver from South Carolina died Tuesday morning after a crash on Interstate 85 in Oconee County, citing the state Highway Patrol.
Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway said the crash was reported at 8:30 a.m. on northbound I-85 at the 2.5-mile marker about two miles south of Fair Play, according to WYFF.
Ridgeway said a 2023 Mini Cooper and a 2024 Peterbilt tractor-trailer were headed north on the interstate when the driver of the Mini Cooper lost control of the vehicle.
Troopers say it traveled off the road to the right, striking a guardrail, then came back onto the roadway where it was hit on the driver side by the tractor-trailer, Ridgeway said.
He said the Mini Cooper driver was injured in the crash and flown by helicopter to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital, but died while en route to the hospital.
Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis identified the driver of the Mini Cooper as Charles J. Karanink, 63, of Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
Addis said Karanink died from blunt force injuries at 10:30 a.m
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
