Driver charged with 8 counts in DUI-related collision Saturday in Columbia, police say

A 30-year-old man was under arrest Sunday morning and charged with felony driving under the influence after a Columbia woman died in a three-car collision Saturday afternoon, the Columbia Police Department said.

Roxina Howell Mack, 61, of Marshdeer Way, Columbia, was killed when the car she was driving on Percival Road collided with a second car that was knocked into her vehicle after being rear-ended by a third car driven by Arthuro Rios Torres, authorities said.

Torres, whose address was listed by authorities at 1100 Sandy Oaks Lot 9, Elgin, then fled that scene, police say. Mack, meanwhile, died at the scene an autopsy revealed, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts, as a result of blunt force trauma due to the motor vehicle collision.

The collision occurred at 5:35, Watts said, when Columbia Police said Mack was traveling south on Percival Road. A northbound car on Percival Road, meanwhile, was stopped in traffic, waiting to make a left turn.

Another car – the one authorities said was driven by Torres, also was traveling northbound on Percival Road in same lane as the stopped car, and rear-ended the stopped car causing it drive into the oncoming southbound traffic and strike the oncoming car driven by Mack, Columbia police said, causing the fatality.

After Torres allegedly ran away from the collision scene, authorities said, he was arrested a short time late at the Willow Oak mobile home park.

Torres was charged with felony DUI involving death, habitual offender – third offense, hit and run involving death, hit and run attended vehicle with injury, failure to give information and render aid, failure to report an accident involving death, no driver’s license and driving under suspension, second offense.

Torres, who is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law, was transported to the Alvin S. Detention Center, police said.

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Driver charged with 8 counts in DUI-related collision Saturday in Columbia, police say."