Columbia man killed in hit-and-run identified by Richland County Coroner
The search continues for the driver involved in a hit-and-run collision that killed a Columbia man and blocked an interstate for hours.
Clyde H. Thompson Jr. was walking along Interstate 77 Sunday morning when he was hit by a vehicle that then drove away, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said.
The 45-year-old Thompson died at the scene, and an autopsy showed his cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to the coroner’s office.
The crash happened minutes after 6 a.m. at the 8-mile marker of I-77, said Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell, of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s near Exit 9A/9B, which is the junction with Garners Ferry Road.
Part of the highway running through northeast Richland County was blocked for about five hours, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter. For close to an hour all northbound lanes on the I-77 were blocked, SCDOT tweeted.
Highway Patrol said the vehicle is a red Chevrolet, GMC or Cadillac pickup truck or SUV, with damage to its front end, in the area of the driver’s side headlight.
No other vehicles were involved, and no other injuries were reported.
Anyone with information is asked to call Highway Patrol at 803-896-9621 or 800-768-1504, or report it to CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
The collision continues to be investigated by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
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This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 7:42 AM.
