Jerry Bragg II of Williston

A Williston man drowned in a Barnwell County pond after his truck ran into it.

Jerry Thomas Bragg II, 45, of 188 Thomas Lane, died at Barnwell County Hospital Feb. 1.

Bragg was traveling west on U.S. 278 and was about four miles west of Barnwell when the wreck occurred at about 9:45 p.m., Jan. 31, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Bragg's 2004 Dodge pick-up truck ran off the right side of U.S. 278, striking a guardrail at Bolen Pond. Bragg returned to the road and continued onward.

When Bragg reached Anderson Pond, the truck ran off the right side of the road and down an embankment, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol.

"He ran off the road and his truck ran off into the spillway," said Lloyd Ward, the Barnwell County coroner.

The first emergency call came about 10 p.m. and the caller stated there was a vehicle in Bolen Pond, Ward said.

Twenty minutes after this was checked out, a sheriff's deputy discovered the truck submerged in the spillway in Anderson Pond, he said.

Bragg was ejected from the truck. He was not wearing a seat belt nor did the truck's airbags deploy, according to S.C. Highway Patrol information.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate Bragg, but he was pronounced dead at Barnwell County Hospital at 12:01 a.m., Feb. 1, Ward said.

"It appeared he drowned. It's still a motor vehicle fatality. He died from drowning due to the wreck," he said.

This was the first motor vehicle fatality for Barnwell County for 2010, Ward said.

Ward said toxicology tests will be done on Bragg as required by law, but he doesn't know when results will be available.

An autopsy was not performed, he said.

Bragg worked at Savannah River Site. He is survived by his son, Ryan Bragg; his mother, Loretta Atkinson; stepfather, J.T. Atkinson; sisters Paula Renee Bragg and Wendy Bragg Lockhart; stepbrothers Jamie Atkinson and Michael Atkinson.