A South Carolina state trooper whose territory included Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale counties, died this morning while responding to a traffic accident near Orangeburg.

The Department of Public Safety said that Lance Cpl. James D. Haynes, 38, died about 3:30 a.m. on South Carolina Highway 33 near I-26.

"The entire department and law enforcement community mourns the sudden loss of Trooper Haynes," said Public Safety Director James K. Schweitzer. "Our deepest condolences are extended to his family and friends."

Lance Cpl. Haynes graduated from Highway Patrol Training School in 1997 and had been assigned to Troop Seven, which includes Orangeburg, Calhoun, Barnwell, Bamberg, Allendale, Aiken and Hampton counties.

He was married with two children and lived in Richland County.

Lance Cpl. Haynes was a 1987 graduate of Keenan High School and graduated in 1991 from Livingstone College.

He often received commendations from the public for his selfless service in the performance of his duties.

"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic news we received this morning of Trooper Haynes' death," said Highway Patrol Col. Russell F. Roark, III. "Even though we all know that the job of a law enforcement officer is dangerous, we are never prepared for such a loss."

The last trooper to die in the line-of-duty was J.W. Parker in 2005 in Clarendon County.