MARION COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Dillon man was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after crashing his car while trying to get away from a Marion County deputy who tried to pull him over for a seat belt violation, the sheriff’s office said.

It happened at about 4:45 p.m. when the deputy saw the man’s car on Highway 76 near Nichols and noticed that the driver wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

According to the sheriff’s office, the deputy, who had been traveling west, turned around and activated his lights and siren to try to pull over the vehicle, but instead, the driver sped away, turning left turn onto Pee Dee Island Road before losing control and crashing.

The man was taken to the hospital, but no information was available about his injuries, the sheriff’s office said. The deputy was not hurt, and his cruiser was not involved in the crash.

Charges against the suspect are pending. No additional information was immediately available.

Count on News13 for updates.

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Dennis Bright is a digital producer at News13. Dennis is a West Virginia native and graduate of Marshall University. He has won copyediting and journalism awards in Virginia and Ohio. Follow Dennis on Twitter and read more of his work here.