Saluda SUV driver dies in crash with tractor-trailer

SALUDA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A 56-year-old Saluda man died in a vehicle collision with a tractor-trailer, the Saluda County Coroner’s Office said Tuesday.

The crash occurred around 5:45 p.m. Monday at Batesburg Highway and South Jennings Street in Saluda.

The collision involved a sport utility vehicle and a tractor-trailer truck. The driver of the SUV died at the scene and was later identified as Jahsiri Ahmad Abdul Moyenda, 56, of Saluda.

The collision is being investigated by the Saluda Police Department, South Carolina Highway Patrol and Saluda County Coroner’s Office.

“The coroner’s office extends its heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Moyenda,” the Saluda County Coroner’s Office said in a statement.

Agencies responding to the scene included the Saluda County Emergency Medical Service, Saluda Police Department, Saluda County Sheriff’s Office, Saluda County Fire Service, South Carolina Highway Patrol and State Transport Police.

We don’t know the cause of the crash, but it comes as more officers are out on highways in South Carolina watching for speeders.

Monday marked the launch of Operation Southern Slow Down, a weeklong effort in South Carolina, Georgia and other states in the region to cut down on speeding.

According to statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speed was a factor in 29 percent of total traffic fatalities in the U.S. in 2020.

Law enforcement agencies say they’ve seen an increase in the number of vehicles traveling at speeds above 100 mph in the past two years. It coincides with an increase in overall traffic fatalities and speed-related traffic deaths.

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