Newspaper carrier for The State killed in fiery Richland County crash
A Columbia man was killed Sunday in an early morning collision, the Richland County Coroner’s Office said.
Donald D. Wheeler Jr., 49, died in the wreck, Coroner Naida Rutherford said Monday in a news release. Wheeler was a carrier for The State newspaper.
The two-vehicle collision happened in the 2300 block of Leesburg Road in Columbia, near the intersection with Newell Road, according to the release.
At about 3 a.m., Wheeler was driving a 2018 Hyundai Elantra east on Leesburg Road, according to the Columbia Police Department. A 26-year-old man driving a 2013 Ford Escape was heading in the same direction when he tried to cross double yellow lines and illegally pass Wheeler’s Hyundai as it was turning left onto Newell Road, police said.
The Ford is believed to be moving at a high rate of speed when it T-boned into the side of into the Hyundai, according to police.
The Hyundai caught on fire and rolled into a church parking lot, with Wheeler trapped inside, police said.
The driver of the Ford was ejected and taken to an area hospital, according to police. Further information on his condition was not available.
Charges, including felony DUI, are pending against the Ford driver when he is released from the hospital, police said. The collision continues to be investigated by police and the coroner’s office.
Information about whether either driver wore a seat belt was not available.
Police said the drivers were the only occupants in their vehicles and no other injuries were reported.
“I have personally spoken with the family and this tragic accident is truly one that will take time for them to process,” Rutherford said in the release. “Our thoughts are with them through this time.”
Through Monday morning, 19 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,097 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS data shows.
At least two people have been killed in Richland County crashes in 2022, while 64 died last year, according to DPS.
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This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 1:15 PM.
