Two killed overnight in crash on highway in Richland County, SC cops say
Two people died overnight following a series of collisions on an interstate running through Richland County, South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
At about 12:30 a.m., the people were walking away from one crash on Interstate 26 when they were hit by an oncoming vehicle, Master Trooper Brian Lee said.
The wreck happened near Exit 101, and all of the westbound lanes on I-26 were blocked, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter. That’s the Broad River Road exit and the junction with U.S. 76.
The incident started when a 2007 Chevrolet HHR ran off the road and crashed into a guard rail, Lee said. There was no word on what caused the Chevy to veer off I-26.
The driver of the Chevy and a good Samaritan who witnessed the wreck and stopped to help were walking across I-26 when they were hit by a 2007 GMC Yukon that was also heading west, according to Lee.
The Chevy driver was identified as 20-year-old Nicholas Vulpi of Chapin, and the good Samaritan was 50-year-old Theodore Ntahonsigaye, of Canada, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said.
Both Vulpi and Ntahonsigaye died at the scene, according to Watts. Vulpi died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and chest, and Ntahonsigaye died of blunt force trauma to the neck and chest, the coroner’s office reported.
No other injuries were reported.
Information on possible criminal charges was not available, but the collisions remain under investigation by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Through Wednesday afternoon, 682 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. Of those, 109 were pedestrians, DPS data shows.
These were the 32nd and 33rd people killed in a Richland County crash in 2020, according to DPS.
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.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 7:56 AM.
