1 killed, 2 injured in head-on collision on Columbia road on Memorial Day weekend

One person is dead and two others were sent to the hospital after a head-on traffic collision Sunday night in Columbia.

A 67-year-old man driving a Toyota van was killed in the wreck, which occurred shortly before 10 p.m. on Leesburg Road near Mountain Brook Drive. The accident closed Leesburg Road for nearly two hours as first responders and Columbia police cleared the scene.

Investigators determined that the van driver was traveling west on Leesburg Road when a Ford Fusion driven by a 63-year-old man heading in the opposite direction crossed the center line and struck the van head on, according to police.

The man killed in the wreck has not yet been identified by the Richland County coroner’s office. Two people in the Fusion were injured and transported to a local hospital.

Columbia police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the accident.

This story was originally published May 25, 2020 at 1:34 PM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription