19-year-old killed on University of South Carolina campus is identified by coroner
The Columbia Police Department investigated the death of a pedestrian who was struck by a car on the University of South Carolina’s campus early Saturday.
On Monday, the pedestrian was identified as 19-year-old Lexington resident Hudson Schirra, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford.
The collision happened at about midnight, on Saturday morning, near the intersection of Blossom Street and Bull Street, the coroner’s office said. That’s on the USC campus, near the Bull Street Garage.
Information about the details of the crash were not available.
A tweet from the police department Saturday morning said, “A 19-year-old male was tragically struck by a vehicle & pronounced deceased on scene.”
No other injuries were reported.
Neither the pedestrian nor the driver were USC students, said a university spokesperson Saturday morning.
Police said that the victim was believed to have been “unlawfully in the roadway,” but have indicated that the investigation is ongoing.
Investigators have not publicly identified the driver involved in the collision, and have not indicated that there will be any criminal charges.
A memorial for Schirra will be held at Radius Church in Lexington on Thursday, and a private family burial will be held at a later date, according to his obituary shared by Caughman-Harman Funeral Home. Schirra is survived by his parents and sister among other family members, according to the obituary.
When he was a student at Gilbert High School, Schirra played on the baseball team, which mourned his death on social media, saying the teen was “a true free spirit with a heart of gold.”
In addition to his high school baseball team, Schirra was a fan of the USC Gamecocks and Pittsburgh Steelers, according to his obituary.
“Hudson’s friends and family meant the world to him,” the obituary said. “He was the biggest ‘hype-man’ and will be spurring them on in all their endeavors. He was always the first to say ‘I love you,’ and if he didn’t hear you say it back, he would say it louder, to be sure you heard him.”
Through Saturday, 789 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 44 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 67 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published October 21, 2023 at 10:44 AM.
