New details of crash that injured River Bluff principal, family on vacation

River Bluff High School Principal Jacob Smith and his family were reportedly driving on the Big Island of Hawaii when they hydroplaned, hit another car and crashed into a lava wall, according to a post from Radius Church’s Facebook group.

The church hosted a prayer meeting on Thursday to support the family.

Smith and two of his children were injured in the crash.

Smith and his son Banks were in a hospital in Hilo with minor injuries as of Thursday, the church shared. His daughter, Bekah, was flown to an intensive care unit in Honolulu with serious injuries, according to a message sent to Radius Church Pastor John Reeves by Crystal Smith, Jacob’s wife.

Jacob Smith has been with the Lexington 1 school district for about a decade and was promoted to principal at River Bluff ahead of the 2021-22 school year.

The Lexington 1 school district informed employees and students’ families about the accident in an email sent out Thursday morning.

Sydney Dunlap

The State

Sydney Dunlap is a reporter at The State covering general news. She attends the University of South Carolina, where she is the editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, The Daily Gamecock. Her writing and photography have won awards on both the local and national levels.