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Lexington County vehicle collisions caused 70 accidental deaths last year.

That was the No. 1 killer followed by drug overdoses at 53 deaths.

These were some of the findings in the Lexington County Coroner’s 2018 annual report this week.

The report includes information about the coroner’s office, Coroner Margaret Fisher, and the deputies who work for the office.

It also includes current demographics for the county.

Lexington County’s population is now over 290,642 people, the 6th most populated of SC’s 46 counties. We’re also one of the most densely populated and fasted growing counties in the state.

The rate of population growth from 2010 to 2017 was 10.8% or more than 28,000 people. That’s slightly higher than the 8.6% increase experienced by the state of South Carolina.

Lexington County’s population is 75% white, 15% black/African American, 6% Hispanic/ Latino, and 4% is a multiracial. Almost a quarter is under 18 years old, and 15% is 65 or older.

According to the report, there were 2,347 deaths in 2018. Of those, 2,098 were ruled by natural causes, 173 accidental, 21 homicides, 50 suicides, and 5 undetermined.

The top cause of natural deaths was heart-related, 2nd to cancer, and 3rd alzheimer’s, same as in 2017.

57 people died from the flu, up from 46 in 2017.

The average age at death was 74.8 years.

To read the full 49-page report, go to https://lex-co.sc.gov/departments/coroner .