Columbia Man Dies in Single-Vehicle Wreck

A 68-year-old man died Saturday after his vehicle hit a tree on Skyland Drive off of Broad River Road. 

James J. Mitchell of 109 Elwyn Drive in Columbia ran into the tree in the 500 block of Skyland Drive around 5 p.m., Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said. 

Mitchell was traveling south on Skyland Drive when his car ran off the right side of the road and struck a mailbox, said Lance Cpl. Brent Kelly with the S.C. Highway Patrol. He then drove back across the road, ran off the other side and hit the tree. 

Mitchell was not wearing a seatbelt, Watts said. He died at the scene due to trauma from the collision. 

The S.C. Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.