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2 die in separate traffic accidents over weekend

Seth Balentine

Two people were killed in separate single-vehicle accidents that occurred about eight hours apart over the weekend.

Seth Balentine, 19, was killed around 4 a.m. Sunday when the Ford F-350 pickup he was driving hit a tree and overturned after traveling off the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, said Laurens County Deputy Coroner Patti Canupp.

On Saturday evening around 7:45, Shonna Lynn Buazard, 47, of Honea Path was killed when the van she was driving left the road and struck a guard rail on Powerhouse Road near Cemetery Road in the Laurens County section of Ware Shoals.

Shonna Buazard

Balentine, a 2020 graduate of Laurens District High School, would have turned 20 on July 22.

Balentine owned and operated Southern Outdoors Management, a lawn and landscaping service, after founding Slingin’ Blades with his father at the age of 14.

A celebration of life for Balentine will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Ole Blue Truck Farm in Gray Court.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Seth M. Balentine Young Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund, c/o Fletcher Funeral Service, 1218 North Main Street, Fountain Inn, S.C., 29644.

Buazard was also pronounced dead at the scene of the accident in Ware Shoals. An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death, according to the coroner’s office.

The traffic fatalities in Laurens County over the weekend were two among nine to occur in South Carolina between July 8-10.

1 Comment

  1. Mike Rich on July 13, 2022 at 9:27 am

    Why doesn’t law enforcement investigate the phone records and get out the word that these numerous one car veering off road accidents are likely due to phone attention?

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