5-year-old girl killed in crash that left three others injured is identified by SC coroner
A child was killed and three other people were injured in a crash Saturday morning, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Five-year-old West Columbia resident Charlotte Leah Flores Izaguirre died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident.
One of the driver’s involved in the two-vehicle collision was charged with felony DUI resulting in death and driving under suspension (suspended for DUI 2nd offense), according to the coroner’s office.
The crash happened at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday on U.S. 21, near the intersection with Miranda Road, said Cpl. Lena Butler of the Highway Patrol. That’s in the West Columbia area of Lexington County, near Exit 119 on Interstate 26.
Both a 2014 Ford SUV and a 2013 Dodge Charger were driving south on U.S. 21 when the vehicles collided, according to Butler. After crashing, the Ford ran off the right side of the road where it hit a ditch and flipped over, while the Dodge veered off the left side of the road and crashed into a fence, Butler said.
There were three people were in the Ford, and the driver as well as both passengers were taken to a hospital, where the 5-year-old girl was pronounced dead, according to Fisher.
Butler said the driver was the only person in the Dodge, and that driver also was injured and taken to the hospital.
Fisher said the three surviving victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but further information on their conditions was not available.
After being medically cleared the Dodge driver was arrested, according to Fisher.
Charlotte was wearing a seat belt, Fisher said. There was no word if any of the other people involved in the wreck were wearing seat belts.
Fisher said that her office and the Highway Patrol are continuing to investigate the crash.
Through March 16, at least 130 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least four people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 50 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 2:21 PM.
