Abron Stroud Car Accident – On late Friday night, a fatal car crash in Nichols, South Carolina, claimed the life of 47-year-old Abron Stroud, a resident of the area, after he was ejected from his vehicle.
The accident took place around 10:12 p.m. on Pee Dee Highway, situated between Highway 917 and Lake Swamp Road. Emergency personnel from Horry County Fire Rescue quickly responded to the scene following reports of a single-vehicle rollover.
Upon arrival, first responders found the overturned vehicle, which had veered off the roadway. According to Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard, Stroud was driving without a seat belt, which likely contributed to his ejection from the vehicle during the crash. Willard confirmed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and that Stroud was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to an investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the sequence of events began when Stroud’s vehicle veered off the road. The details revealed that he over-corrected his steering in an attempt to regain control, which caused his vehicle to overturn.
This type of accident, known as a “loss-of-control rollover,” can be particularly deadly because over-correction often exacerbates the vehicle’s instability, leading to dangerous rollovers.
Law enforcement reports indicate that Stroud’s failure to wear a seat belt played a pivotal role in his tragic ejection from the vehicle. Seat belts are a primary restraint system designed to keep drivers and passengers secure within the vehicle during collisions.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has long reported that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passengers by 45% and the risk of moderate to critical injuries by 50%. While South Carolina law mandates that all drivers and passengers wear seat belts, enforcement remains challenging, especially in rural areas where compliance rates tend to vary.
The tragic outcome of Stroud’s crash underscores the ongoing issue of seat belt non-compliance in traffic fatalities. According to the NHTSA, approximately 47% of the nearly 23,824 vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2020 were not wearing seat belts. Seat belt use is a simple but crucial action that can mean the difference between life and death. The agency advocates for stricter adherence to seat belt usage and has pushed for public education campaigns highlighting the risks associated with neglecting this basic safety measure.
A passenger in Stroud’s vehicle, whose identity has not been released, sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident. The individual was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Information on the passenger’s current condition remains unavailable, although Horry County officials have noted that the injuries are severe.
Cpl. David Jones, representing the South Carolina Highway Patrol, stated that further investigations are ongoing. He noted that such accidents often require a thorough examination to determine all contributing factors, which may include additional factors like road conditions, potential impairment, or vehicle mechanical issues.