One dead, another fights to live after crash on highway in Richland County, cops say
One person was killed and another suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash on a section of a major interstate running through Richland County, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 20, Master Trooper David Jones said.
Two eastbound lanes near Exit 82 on I-20 were closed for about an hour because of the wreck, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter. That’s the Spears Creek Church Road exit in the northeast part of Richland County, just past Clemson Road.
A 2015 Mercedes-Benz was heading east on I-20 when it ran off the right side of the highway and crashed into a tree.
A front-seat passenger died at the scene, according to Jones.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the passenger after notifying the next of kin.
The driver was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, Jones said. Further information on the driver’s condition was not made available.
Both the driver and passenger were wearing seat belts, according to Jones.
No other injuries were reported by Highway Patrol.
There was no word on what caused the Mercedes to veer off I-20 or whether criminal charges are possible, but the crash is still being investigated by Highway Patrol.
Since Saturday, there were four other fatal collisions in the Midlands reported by Highway Patrol. That included two wrecks in Sumter County, a crash in Lexington County, and another in Kershaw County.
Through Friday afternoon, 293 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
At least 11 people have been killed in Richland County crashes in 2021, DPS reported.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published April 25, 2021 at 1:52 PM.
