Columbia man killed in hit-and-run crash, SC coroner says
A Columbia man died in a hospital days after a hit-and-run crash on a Midlands road, the Sumter County Coroner’s Office said Wednesday.
Othega Nesmith, 42, was the pedestrian who was killed, Coroner Robbie Baker said in a news release.
The collision happened at about 5:30 a.m. on July 18 in the 1300 Block of Myrtle Beach Highway, according to the release. That’s in Sumter, near the intersection with U.S. 76.
Nesmith was walking on the side of the road when he was hit by an unknown vehicle that left the scene, Baker said.
Nesmith was initially taken to Prisma Health Tuomey before being transferred to Prisma Health Richland where he died on July 22, according to the release.
An autopsy was completed Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Baker said.
No other injuries were reported.
The crash continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 561 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 18 people have died in Sumter County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 30 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
Anyone with information on the collision is asked to call the Highway Patrol at 803-896-9621 or 800-768-1503, submit a tip to CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip. Tips can also be texted to *HP.
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