Anderson County Coroner’s Office Releases Name Of Victim In Fatal Honea Path Accident

(Seneca, SC)——–The Anderson County Coroner’s Office has identified and released the name of the victim in an accident that occurred in Honea Path yesterday involving a city sanitation vehicle versus a pedestrian. 

The victim has been identified as 49 year old Richard Ernest Smith of Honea Path, who is an employee with the city of Honea Path Sanitation Department. 

According to a press release from the Coroner’s Office, the victim was working with two co-workers empting trash containers on Pitts Street and Orr Street yesterday morning. The victim was walking alongside the driver’s side of a City Sanitation truck when he apparently fell and/or tripped and was struck by the Sanitation truck as it was backing down the street to facilitate the empting of the trash receptacles. 

The driver of the vehicle stated, according to the release, that he lost visual contact with the victim while backing the vehicle. 

The victim was pinned under the truck and required extrication from under the vehicle. After the fire department and paramedics responded to the scene, the victim was transported to the hospital. The victim was pronounced dead at 7:04am and died as a result of blunt force trauma, according to the release. 

An autopsy was completed yesterday afternoon and the accident does remain under investigation.