Victim of Valentine’s Day wreck identified

An autopsy determined that a Simpsonville man killed in a single-car accident on Monday evening died of multiple blunt-force injuries.

The Laurens County Coroner’s Office identified the victim of the crash as James Clarence Ashley, 77, of Simpsonville.

Ashley died at the scene of the accident on Highway 92 near Water Tank Road in Gray Court around 4:50 p.m.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Ashley was driving a 2003 Mazda minivan east on Highway 92 when he traveled off the left side of the road, struck a ditch and a fence and overturned.

SCHP Trooper Gary Miller said no passengers were in the vehicle.

The death marks the sixth traffic fatality in Laurens County in as many weeks in 2022.