NC man killed in crash on interstate identified by Lexington County coroner
The North Carolina man who was killed in an early Saturday morning crash was publicly identified by the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.
Michael Allen Costner died in the three-vehicle collision that happened on Interstate 26 at about 2 a.m., Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release.
The 48-year-old Morganton resident died at the scene, according to Fisher. Morganton is about 70 miles northwest of Charlotte.
The wreck occurred on a westbound lane of I-26 near Exit 91 for Columbia Avenue, said Sgt. Sonny Collins of South Carolina Highway Patrol.
A 2019 Dodge Caravan being driven by Costner was moving at a slow speed because of construction in the area when it was hit from behind by a 2017 Dodge Challenger that was traveling at a high rate of speed, Fisher said.
The van then slammed into the rear of a 2014 Ford pickup truck that had also slowed for the traffic, according to Collins.
Other occupants of the van, as well as a passenger from the Challenger, were taken to an area hospital with what Fisher said were non-life-threatening injuries. Further information on their conditions was not made available.
Costner was wearing a seat belt, according to Fisher.
Christian Luna, the 27-year-old driving the Challenger, started the three-vehicle wreck and was charged with felony DUI resulting in death, Collins said.
No bond was set for Luna, who is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center, jail records show. Luna is scheduled to appear in court again on April 1, according to Lexington County court records.
If convicted, Luna faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.
Highway Patrol continues to investigate the collision.
The crash temporarily caused all of the westbound lanes on I-26 to be blocked, and it took hours for the highway to be cleared, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said.
Through Friday afternoon, 110 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
There have been at least seven people killed in Richland County crashes in 2021, DPS reported.
Overall, 1,025 people died on South Carolina roads in 2020, DPS reported.
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