Fatal crash caused by impaired driver, Sumter police say

Sumter police charged a 44-year-old man in a fatal drunken-driving collision that killed a passenger Saturday night.

Michael Demore, of 125 Church St., Sumter, is charged with felony driving under the influence that resulted in a death, police said Sunday in a news release.

The names of the deceased passenger and the driver of the Nissan Sentra that Demore’s GMC Yukon struck about 11:45 p.m. have not been released. Demore was treated at Palmetto Health Tuomey hospital then taken to the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.

The car and Demore’s SUV hit almost head on after the Yukon turned off Mason Road onto Broad Street, heading in the wrong direction, police said. The front-seat passenger in the Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene and the car’s driver was taken to the hospital and later released.

Sumter police continue to investigate with the help of the S.C. Highway Patrol’s accident-reconstruction team.

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Fatal crash caused by impaired driver, Sumter police say."