Columbia man killed when SUV crashes into trees and goes up in flames, coroner says
One person was killed and three others were injured Sunday in a late night crash in the Midlands, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
Stacy Fuller, a 57-year-old Columbia resident, was the back seat passenger who died, Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill said Monday.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 10:40 p.m. in Fairfield County, according to Lance Cpl. Nick Pye.
A Jeep SUV was driving east on Rion Road, and near the intersection with Commitment Road the vehicle ran off the right shoulder, Pye said. That’s about a mile from the Fairfield County Airport.
After running off the road the SUV flipped over and crashed into several trees before catching on fire, according to Hill.
Fuller was entrapped in the vehicle, Hill said. An autopsy is scheduled with the Newberry Pathology Group on Wednesday to determine his exact cause of death, according to Hill.
The driver and two passengers were taken to an area hospital, but another passenger died, Pye said.
Further information on the conditions of the driver and surviving passengers was not available.
There was no word if any of the SUV occupants were wearing seat belts.
Information about what caused the SUV to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Jan. 16, at least 30 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,075 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
This is the first person killed in a crash in Fairfield County this year, DPS data shows. Last year, nine deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 8:19 AM.
