High school senior killed in crash on Midlands road, others hospitalized, coroner says
A teenager was killed and four other people were hurt Sunday night in a multi-vehicle crash at a Midlands intersection, officials said.
Caleb Jade Browder, a senior at Sumter High School, was identified as the truck driver who died, Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said Monday.
The 18-year-old Sumter resident died at the scene, according to Baker.
The three-vehicle collision happened at about 7:15 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 378 and S.C. 527, said Cpl. Sonny Collins of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s outside of Sumter, near the junction with Interstate 95, and near the Turbeville Correctional Institution.
A 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer was heading north on S.C. 527, and the driver failed to yield the right of way when pulling onto U.S. 378, Collins said.
The Chevy SUV smashed into a 2001 GMC truck, driven by Browder, and a 2005 Ford pickup that were both heading west on U.S. 378, according to Collins.
Both the Ford and GMC trucks flipped over, Collins said.
Two passengers in the GMC, along with the drivers of the Ford and the Chevy, were taken to an area hospital, according to Collins.
Information on their conditions was not made available by Highway Patrol.
Browder and all of the other occupants in the three vehicles were wearing seat belts, Collins said.
An autopsy on Browder is scheduled to be performed Tuesday at The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to Baker.
There was no word on possible criminal charges, but the crash continues to be investigated by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Through Monday morning, 858 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety.
This was at least the 18th person killed in a Sumter County crash in 2020, DPS data shows.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 9:34 AM.
