The mayor of the South Carolina town of McColl was killed in a head-on collision involving a tractor trailer, authorities said.
George Garner II was being followed by deputies at the time of the Tuesday crash after his concerned wife called the Marlboro Sheriff’s Office.
“The pursuit was not related to any laws being broken. The pursuit was taking place in an effort to protect the wellbeing of Mr. Garner,” said Darlington County Coroner J. Todd Hardee.
Garner was driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe at around 2:40 p.m. when he veered into oncoming traffic and hit a Volvo tractor trailer in the town of Mechanicsville, in Darlington County.
The recently reelected mayor succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. The driver of the trailer was also injured and taken to the same hospital for treatment.
