Woman killed in crash, where two children were critically hurt, identified by coroner
A woman was killed and multiple people, including several children, were injured Tuesday in a crash, according to the Columbia Police Department.
The three-vehicle collision happened at the intersection of North Beltline Boulevard and Trenholm Road, police said. That’s in the Forest Acres area, next to Richland mall.
One vehicle was driving south on Beltline, and another was stopped at a red light at the intersection, police told The State Wednesday.
A third vehicle failed to yield when making a left turn from North Beltline onto a westbound lane of Trenholm Road, police said. The first vehicle collided with the third vehicle, which then hit the second vehicle, according to police.
There were seven people in the third vehicle, including the woman who died, police said.
Nicola D. Harrell, a 31-year-old Columbia resident, was identified as the victim who died, according to the Richland County Coroner’s Office.
She was a passenger, along with five children, according to police. As of Wednesday morning, two of the children were in critical condition, police said. Further information on the other passenger’s conditions was not available.
The driver of the third vehicle was not seriously injured, according to police.
“It’s not believed that the passengers were restrained,” police said.
There were two people in the first vehicle, and they suffered minor injuries, according to police. Both of those people, along with two people in the second vehicle who were not injured, were “likely restrained,” police said.
The crash continues to be investigated by police.
Through Sunday, 321 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 17 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 67 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 12:37 PM.
