Crash with Councilman Kelvin Washington caused other driver ‘severe head injury’

A 22-year-old driver injured in a crash with Richland County Councilman Kelvin Washington on Saturday had to undergo surgery for a severe head injury after the crash, according to the incident report on the accident.

Washington, 51, struck a vehicle from behind at Bluff Road and MLK Boulevard when that vehicle slowed down to turn, according to the report, which was released Tuesday by the S.C. Department of Public Safety. A 19-year-old passenger in that vehicle was taken to the hospital for minor injuries, as was Washington. The responding state trooper “observed no skid marks leading up to the point of impact.”

The 22-year-old was not wearing a seat belt, according to the collision report. The 19-year-old and Washington were.

The councilman told law enforcement he had consumed one beer at a friend’s house on Broad River Road and was on his way home when the collision occurred. At the hospital, Washington refused to provide authorities with a blood sample until they obtained a search warrant to test his blood and urine, according to the incident report. He was charged with felony DUI and taken to the county’s Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

Washington made bond Sunday afternoon. A trooper told the judge both victims were still in the hospital at that point, one suffering bleeding in the pelvic area.

Washington’s fellow councilman Seth Rose expressed concern about this charge being Washington’s second arrest in a short span of time – the first coming in January, when he was charged with failure to file state income taxes for three years.

“With his second arrest, it has become abundantly clear that Mr. Washington has issues at home he needs to address,” Rose said. “It is my personal opinion that he and Richland County would be best served if he focused his attention on these issues and allowed someone else to fulfill his council duties. As to the incident, I am praying for everyone that has been impacted.”

The 19-year-old has been released from the hospital, family members said Tuesday.

Efforts to reach Washington since Sunday have not been successful.

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Crash with Councilman Kelvin Washington caused other driver ‘severe head injury’."