Prosperity teen dies in single-car wreck - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina

NEWBERRY, SC (WIS) - A Prosperity man died early Sunday morning when his car ran off the road and hit some trees, according to the Newberry County Coroner.

Craig Newton said William Joiner Bedenbaugh, 19, was killed just after midnight on Sunday on Mt. Pleasant Road off Highway 34. According to the Highway Patrol, Bedenbaugh's 2009 Dodge Charger ran off the road, hit multiple trees and caught on fire.

"I have had the privilege of knowing this family for many years," said Sheriff Lee Foster. "While delivering a death notification is always difficult, it is all the more difficult when it is a child of a family that you know so well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire family as we come to grips with the knowledge that the death of a loved one is not something we get over but something we get through."

Newton said an autopsy showed that Bedenbaugh died instantly from severe trauma caused from the collision, and all fire-related injuries were post-mortem.

"The holidays are such a special time of the year and I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child during this difficult time," said Newton. "I know I join Sheriff Foster and all the law enforcement agencies involved in extending our deepest sympathy to this family."

The accident is under investigation from the Highway Patrol, the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, and the Newberry County Coroner's Office.

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