Driver dies after swerving off Columbia interstate exit ramp

A driver was ejected from his car and killed in northeast Columbia early Saturday when he steered his 2002 Toyota Camry off an interstate exit ramp and overcorrected, causing the car to flip and roll several times.

Nicholas Wright, a 28 year old from Camden, was not wearing a seatbelt during the 12:25 a.m. crash. He was the car’s only occupant, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Troopers say Wright was exiting off of Interstate 77 and onto I-20-East when he drove into the emergency lane, then overcorrected to his left, running the Camry off the road and into a gorge between the exit ramp and the eastbound lanes of I-20.

An autopsy showed Wright died from blunt chest trauma, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.

This story was originally published August 3, 2019 at 12:46 PM.

Avery G. Wilks

The State

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Avery G. Wilks is The State’s senior S.C. State House and politics reporter. He was named the 2018 S.C. Journalist of the Year by the South Carolina Press Association. He grew up in Chester, S.C., and graduated from the University of South Carolina’s top-ranked Honors College in 2015.