$1 million bond set for man charged with DUI in Columbia, SC police say
The Columbia Police Department said a man was arrested on a DUI charge following a crash that occurred on the Gervais Street bridge, according to multiple reports.
William Joseph Livingston was charged with felony driving under the influence resulting in bodily injury, police said in a Monday night news release. Information about where and when the crash happened was not available, and police have not responded to multiple messages about the incident.
Multiple news outlets reported that the crash happened Sunday night on the bridge connecting downtown Columbia and West Columbia, as a pedestrian walking on the bridge was hit by an SUV and thrown over the guardrail to the bank of the Congaree River.
Police have not said anything about the victim’s condition.
Livingston was arrested and is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, police said. The 30-year-old’s bond was set at $1,000,000, jail records show. Livingston is scheduled to return to court Aug. 28, according to Richland County judicial records.
Despite Livingston’s arrest, police said they are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 803-545-3500.
Lexington County court records show that Livingston has been previously arrested and pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one count of open container of beer or wine in motor vehicle.
Bridge over the Congaree River
Along with the Blossom Street bridge and the Jarvis Klapman bridge, the Gervais Street bridge is one of three in downtown that funnels traffic between Columbia and Lexington County.
Last year, an average of 26,900 drivers crossed the Gervais Street bridge daily, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Prior to Sunday, there have been at least 14 collisions on the Gervais Street bridge between January 2024 and March 2026, The State previously reported. One of those occurred Feb. 5, during the morning commute, and another happened March 14 when one person was killed and another was seriously injured.
The bridge that spans the Congaree River has narrow lanes, and improper lane usage was the primary factor in nearly half of the past crashes.
When construction on the bridge, as it’s currently constituted, was completed in June 1928, it had the widest roadway in South Carolina, The State reported. Now, its lanes are each about four feet shorter in width than is recommended for bridges built today.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 8:15 AM.
