Details released in wreck that hospitalized USC D-line coach. Other driver dies
Authorities have issued details on a Friday car crash in which one person died and University of South Carolina assistant football coach Travian Roberston was hospitalized.
S.C. Highway Patrol Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway said the wreck happened at about 5:45 a.m. Friday on U.S. 76 in Richland County, which is on Dutch Fork Road near Chapin.
A 2014 Nissan Pathfinder was traveling west on U.S. 76, while Robertson was driving east in a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, the Highway Patrol said. The Nissan Pathfinder crossed left of the center line and collided head-on with the Tahoe, the Highway Patrol said. The driver of the Pathfinder died at the scene, Ridgeway said.
“Travian Robertson was involved in a car accident [Friday] morning,” USC coach Shane Beamer said in a Friday statement. “He is currently in the hospital in stable condition. We expect him to make a full recovery and be back out on the field soon. Please keep the families of those involved in the accident in your prayers and respect the Robertson family’s privacy during this time.”
Kelly M. Johnson, a 35-year-old Columbia resident, died in the wreck, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford announced Monday in a news release.
A source with knowledge of the situation told The State that, as of Tuesday morning, Robertson remained in a room in the trauma ICU at Prisma Health Richland Hospital.
Robertson, a former defensive lineman at South Carolina from 2007-11, is entering his third season as the Gamecocks’ defensive line coach.
USC begins its 2025 season Sunday, Aug. 31, against Virginia Tech in Atlanta.
Sports reporter Jordan Kaye contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM.
