Two Columbia men killed in crash near Williams-Brice Stadium identified by coroner
Two Columbia men killed in a car crash near Williams-Brice Stadium were identified by the Richland County Coroner’s Office Tuesday.
Kamal Mateen Najee, 46, and Jimmy Devette Singleton, 33, died Monday in a three-vehicle collision on Bluff Road, Coroner Gary Watts said in a news release.
The crash happened just before 9 a.m. in the 1300 block of Bluff Road, near the intersection with Eden Street, Master Trooper David Jones of the South Carolina Highway Patrol told The State. That is in the shadow of the football home of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, on the opposite side of the stadium from the South Carolina State Fairgrounds.
Both Najee, identified as the driver, and Singleton, a front-seat passenger, were in the same vehicle, a 2002 Honda, Jones said.
Najee was taken to an area hospital where he died, Watts said.
Singleton died at the scene, according to Watts. Neither man was wearing a seat belt, the coroner said.
No other injuries were reported in the collision.
The Honda was heading toward Bluff Road when the driver disregarded a stop sign and smashed into a 2015 Dodge Ram truck that was heading west on Bluff, Highway Patrol reported.
After being hit on the driver’s side, the Honda then collided with a 2016 Toyota SUV also headed west on Bluff Road, according to Jones.
Both the driver of the Dodge and the Toyota were wearing seat belts and were not hurt in the collisions, Jones said.
The collision remains under investigation by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Prior to Monday’s wreck, 107 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. Of those deaths, 82 of the victims had access to seat belts, and 45 were not wearing safety restraints, DPS said.
The wreck is at least the third deadly collision near the Gamecocks’ stadium since August.
On Aug. 7, a Columbia man was walking near the stadium and was killed when he was hit by a 22-year-old woman who was charged with felony DUI involving death, The State reported.
On Sept. 10, a 21-year-old USC student was identified as the driver killed in a single-vehicle crash near Williams-Brice Stadium.
In a December crash, a 22-year-old riding a bicycle “improperly,” died after colliding with a vehicle at the intersection of Bluff Road and Atlas Road, about four miles from the Gamecocks stadium, the coroner’s office said.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
