20-year-old killed when vehicle stops in the middle of I-26 in Lexington County

A 20-year-old Blythewood man was killed when his disabled car was hit on Interstate 26 Wednesday night, according to officials.

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher on Thursday identified the victim of the fatal crash as Thaire Mkijana Terry, 20, of Blythewood.

The crash happened around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday in the eastbound lanes of I-26 near mile marker 104, according to Lance Cpl. Matt Southern of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

A 1990 GMC pickup was traveling east when it “began to experience a mechanical issue and came to a stop” in the middle lane, Southern said. An eastbound Ford Edge then crashed into the pickup.

Terry was taken to Palmetto Health Richland hospital, where he later died, Fisher said.

The driver of the Ford Edge and two passengers in the SUV were all wearing seat belts, Southern said. The driver of the Ford had minor injuries, according to Fisher.

As of Monday, there were 62 traffic deaths in Lexington County this year compared to 42 at the same time last year, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety. The county is currently No. 3 in the state for traffic fatalities behind Greenville County (69) and Spartanburg County (67).

This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 6:28 AM.