Driver killed when thrown from flipping truck in Columbia, identified by coroner
One person was killed Sunday night when a pickup truck flipped over in a crash on a highway running through Richland County, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Romeo J. Bautista, a 36-year-old Columbia resident, was the driver who died, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Tuesday.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 6 p.m. near Exit 12 on Interstate 77, Master Trooper David Jones said. That’s the junction with Forest Drive in Columbia, near Fort Jackson.
Both an Infiniti SUV and a Ford F150 were heading north on I-77 when the SUV slowed for traffic, according to Jones.
The pickup drove into the median, sideswiping the SUV, before crashing into the median barrier and overturning multiple times, Jones said.
Bautista was ejected from the pickup and died at the scene, Jones said.
The person driving the SUV was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported by the Highway Patrol.
It was not immediately known if any of the occupants involved in the wreck wore a seat belt.
The crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Thursday, 360 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,192 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 27 people have been killed in Richland County crashes in 2022, according to DPS. There were 73 deaths there last year, DPS data shows.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published May 23, 2022 at 8:52 AM.
