Seneca Man dies in Motor Vehicle Collision near Mountain Rest

A 41-year-old Seneca man died Sunday night after a single vehicle collision on Highlands Highway near Mountain Rest. Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis reports that the collision occurred at approximately 9:50pm. Addis pronounced Alton Owens Jr., dead at the scene at 10:47pm with EMS personnel in attendance. Owens was employed as a counselor at a boy’s camp located near Mountain Rest and was on his way to work at the time of the collision, which is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. According to authorities, Owens was traveling west on Highlands Highway toward Mountain Rest when his vehicle ran under a large tree which had fallen across the roadway during a heavy rain storm. Owens was entrapped in his vehicle and was talking to first arriving fire department personnel. He was witnessed to sustain cardiac arrest by this crew several minutes later. An autopsy will be ordered to assist in determining the cause of death.