OC Crash Victim identified

The victim of a late night traffic fatality has been identified. Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis reports that 45-year-old James Austin Smith of Tamassee died Tuesday night from blunt force injuries sustained in a two-vehicle collision around 11:30pm. The collision occurred on North Highway 11 near the intersection of Flat Shoals Road and Cheohee Valley Road. According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Smith was driving a pickup truck that crossed the centerline striking the side of a tractor-trailer. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured and both drivers were wearing seat belts. Addis says that no autopsy will be ordered and that Smith’s manner of death is accidental. The Highway Patrol continues to investigate this collision.