Accident victims identified

Three people have died in Dorchester County traffic accidents, and a fourth person was critically injured in one of the wrecks, officials said.

Two of the fatally injured men, Kermit D. Williams Jr., 48, of Summerville, and Gene Arthur Hill Jr., 29, of Ridgeville, died after losing control of their pickups. The third fatality, James C. Curton III, 27, of Summerville, occurred as a result of injuries suffered in a head-on collision on Trolley Road at Community Road, said Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet.

Williams died of positional asphyxiation after his pickup truck rolled over about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. He was tossed about in the cab while trying to regain control of the truck, Nisbet said. When the truck came to rest, Williams was wedged in a position that caused him to suffocate. Williams was celebrating his birthday when the accident happened at the Beech Hill Hunting Club, Nisbet said.

At 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Hill lost control of his pickup at the intersection of Old Orangeburg Road and U.S. Highway 78. The truck jumped a ditch, went through a field about the length of a football field and into a wooded area. Hill died of blunt force trauma, Nisbet said. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating both accidents.

In the third fatality, Curton died shortly after 2 a.m. on Saturday while driving along Trolley Road. His vehicle and a vehicle driven by Terrell Miles collided head-on, Nisbet said. Miles was critically injured.

Curton worked at Best Buy in North Charleston. He was a father to a little girl, and he and the mother of the child planned to marry soon, Nisbet said.

Information was not available Monday night from the Medical University of South Carolina about Miles' condition. Summerville Police are investigating the accident.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.