One person killed, another arrested after truck sinks in pond, SC cops say

One person died and another was arrested after a pickup truck sunk in a pond Sunday night, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The single-vehicle incident happened at about 8:30 p.m. on private property near Bells Highway in Colleton County, said Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell. That’s in the Walterboro area, close to the Bamberg County line.

A 1996 Ford Ranger pickup was heading south on the property when it went into a pond, overturned and submerged, according to Tidwell.

A passenger was killed, while the driver, identified as Juan Diego Figueroa Concepcion, was taken to Colleton Medical Center, Tidwell said.

No other injuries were reported.

The Colleton County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the passenger after notifying the next of kin.

Neither Concepcion nor the passenger wore a seat belt, according to Tidwell.

After being medically cleared at the hospital, Concepcion was taken to the Colleton County Detention Center where the 39-year-old resident of Balancán, Mexico was charged with driving under the influence with death, Tidwell said.

A bond hearing is scheduled for Concepcion Monday, according to Tidwell.

If convicted on the felony DUI charge, Concepcion faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.

Through Friday afternoon, 788 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, state Department of Public Safety data shows. Of those, 532 of the victims had access to seat belts, but 265 were not wearing them, DPS reported.

At least 14 people have been killed in Colleton County crashes in 2021, and 11 of them were not wearing seat belts, DPS reported.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.