Chester, SC high school student killed, another injured in car crash, officials say
Two Chester High students were involved in a car crash Wednesday in South Carolina that killed one and injured another, officials said.
A female high school student was killed and a male student was hurt. Both are 16. The male was the driver and the girl was the passenger, officials said.
The female passenger who was killed was identified as Ternayja Murphy, 16, of Chester, said Terry Tinker, Chester County Coroner.
The name of the driver has not been released.
Both teens attended Chester High School, said Chris Christoff, spokesman for the Chester County School District.
“This is heartbreaking,” Christoff told The Herald in a phone interview after the crash. “Our thoughts and prayers are with both families. The school district will do all it can to support the families, and all students and staff.”
The fatal wreck happened around 11 a.m. on Pine Ridge Road east of the city of Chester, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the S.C. Highway Patrol. The male driver of a 2002 Honda went off the left side of the road, Bolt said. The car overturned and hit a fence and tree, Bolt said.
Neither the driver nor the passenger were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, Bolt said.
Murphy died at the scene, according to troopers and the coroner.
The male driver was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital, Bolt and Tinker said. His condition was not known Wednesday afternoon.
Chester High School is one of three high schools in Chester County. The area of the crash is between Rock Hill and Columbia.
The collision remains under investigation by the S.C. Department of Public Safety.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Chester, SC high school student killed, another injured in car crash, officials say."
