Two killed in Richland County crashes over the weekend, SC Highway Patrol says
In a 24-hour span over the weekend, two people were killed in separate crashes in Richland County, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The most recent of the crashes happened at about 10 p.m. Sunday, near the intersection of Broad River Road and Lake Murray Boulevard, according to Sgt. Sonny Collins. That’s in the area between Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital and Harbison Boulevard.
A 2012 Jaguar was driving east on Broad River Road and attempting to escape from law enforcement officers in pursuit, Collins said. During the chase, the Jaguar collided with a 2013 Lexus that was driving west on Broad River Road, according to Collins.
The Lexus driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was killed, Collins said.
Information about if the driver died at the scene, or was first taken to an area hospital, was not available.
The Jaguar driver wore a seat belt and was taken to an area hospital, according to Collins. Further information on the Jaguar driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the Jaguar driver will face criminal charges once released from the hospital.
Information on what led to the chase was not available, but it’s being investigated by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.
About a day earlier, another driver was killed in an unrelated crash in Richland County.
That two-vehicle collision happened at about 10:10 p.m. Saturday on Garners Ferry Road, according to Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell.
Both a 2016 Ford F150 and a 2015 GMC Acadia were driving west on Garners Ferry Road, Tidwell said.
When the vehicles were near the intersection with Watermelon Hill Road, the SUV rear ended the pickup truck, according to Tidwell. That’s in the Eastover area, near McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
The collision caused the SUV to flip over into the median, while the pickup ran off the left side of Garners Ferry Road into the median, Tidwell said.
The driver, who was the only person inside the SUV, was killed, according to Tidwell.
None of the four people in the pickup truck were hurt, Tidwell said.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if any of the occupants involved in the wreck wore a seat belt.
Information on what caused the SUV to hit the pickup was not available, but the crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the victims in both crashes after notifying their families.
Through Friday morning, 158 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,149 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 11 people have been killed in Richland County crashes in 2022, according to DPS. There were 68 deaths there last year, DPS data shows.
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This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 8:38 AM with the headline "Two killed in Richland County crashes over the weekend, SC Highway Patrol says."
