Three killed in Chester County head-on wreck, troopers say

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Four families are forever changed after a deadly crash in Chester early Sunday.

First responders were called to Highway 72 near Enix Road around 12:30 a.m.

Investigators determined a van and truck collided after the driver of the van went off the right side of the road, overcorrected and then struck the oncoming truck. Three men were killed and a fourth critically injured.

Officials identified the driver of the van as Joseph Knox. Investigators said it’s unclear what caused Knox to drive off the right side of the road. He was flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Tony Roof was identified as a passenger of Knox’s van and one of the three men killed in the crash.

Those who knew Roof said he and Knox were friends and that Roof often worked for Knox’s small home improvement business.

According to family members, Roof also had two children, including an adult daughter and a 6-year-old son.

“Telling him (his son) that he (Roof) was gone was hard,” said Sonia Millwood, the mother of Roof’s son. “I didn’t really know how to tell him.”

Millwood said she had trouble believing the news herself. She said she received a phone call and then drove to the scene of the crash.

“To go out there and see the vehicles just mangled and everything. It was awful,” she said.

The crash site is now marked by a single white cross that was placed in the ground by the granddaughter of another man killed in the crash.

Willie Perry and Sir Lawrence Darby were the two occupants of the truck. The pair was riding home to Rock Hill after Darby’s DJ’ing gig when the crash happened. Both men were killed.

“It’s so sad,” said the granddaughter, picking up her grandfather’s black cap in the debris. “He (Perry) never stays out this late. He had taken him (Darby) to his DJ gig.”

Millwood said she’s thankful her son got to see his dad just hours before the crash.

“He got to see him and hug him and love him and tell him he loved him,” said Millwood. “Hold your loved ones because you  never know.”

Troopers say the investigation into the crash is ongoing and charges are pending against Knox.

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