Couple killed in crash on their way to work at Columbia restaurant, coroner says

A young couple was killed in a collision on a Midlands road Sunday morning while they were on their way to work at a Columbia restaurant.

The crash happened around 6:15 a.m. on Fort Jackson Road in Kershaw County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Nicholas P. Kicklighter, 26, and Jennalee D. Hodge, 27, were killed in a head-on, two-vehicle collision, according to Kershaw County Coroner David West. Kicklighter was driving a 2002 Toyota, and the couple were on their way to work at a Columbia Dunkin’ Donuts.

The collision occurred near the intersection with White Pond Road in Lugoff, where the boyfriend and girlfriend lived, West reported. The Jefferson, Georgia, native and Hodge were heading westbound on Fort Jackson Road, when a 2017 Ford SUV crossed the center line and led to the head-on crash.

Kicklighter and Hodge, who was from Sarasota, Florida, were declared dead at the scene at 6:50 a.m., according to West.

The driver of the Ford was taken to an area hospital in “serious condition,” according to the Highway Patrol.

There is no word if there will be criminal charges filed.

The crash remains under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol.

This story was originally published September 2, 2018 at 2:10 PM.