Two killed, another hurt when car crashes into trees by Midlands road, SC cops say

Two people were killed and a third person had to be airlifted by helicopter to an area hospital following an early morning car crash near a Midlands road, South Carolina Highway Patrol said Sunday.

Ricky D. Stradford, a 38-year-old Camden resident, and Otia Lashay Thompson, a 22-year-old from Lancaster, died at the scene, according to Kershaw County Coroner David West.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 4:40 a.m. on U.S. 521, near the intersection with Knotty Pine Drive, according to Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell. That’s in the Westville area of Kershaw County, not far from Lake Wateree.

A 2002 Toyota Camry was driving north on U.S. 521 when it ran off the right side of the road and crashed into several trees, Tidwell said.

A third person inside the Camry was hurt and taken to Prisma Health Richland hospital, according to Tidwell. Further information on that person’s condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported by Highway Patrol.

There was no word if any of the occupants in the collision wore seat belts. Highway Patrol didn’t say if the driver was one of the people who died.

Information about what caused the Camry to veer off the road was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Friday morning, 81 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, state Department of Public Safety data shows. Last year, 1,122 people died in crashes in South Carolina, according to DPS.

This is the first fatal crash in Kershaw County in 2022, while 23 died last year, according to DPS.

This story was originally published February 13, 2022 at 12:22 PM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription