Head-on crash in no passing zone kills driver, has passenger in hospital, SC cops say

A Midlands man was killed and two people were hospitalized following a head-on crash, officials said.

Jamie Montgomery died at the scene of Tuesday night’s wreck, Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said.

The 46-year-old Sumter resident was driving a 2004 Ford Mustang that was involved in a two-vehicle collision, according to Master Trooper David Jones of South Carolina Highway Patrol.

At about 6:15 p.m., Montgomery was heading north on U.S. 15 when he tried to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone near the intersection with Beulah Cuttino Road, Jones said. That’s about 7 miles south of downtown Sumter.

As Montgomery attempted to pass, the Mustang crashed into a 2004 Jeep SUV that was heading south on U.S. 15, according to Jones.

After colliding, both the Mustang and Jeep ran off the side of the road, where the SUV flipped over, Jones said.

Montgomery was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car, according to Jones.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Baker said.

A front-seat passenger in the Mustang also was not wearing a seat belt and was entrapped in the car, Jones said. The passenger was airlifted to a Prisma Health hospital in Richland County with life-threatening injuries, according to Jones.

The driver of the Jeep, who was wearing a seat belt, was injured and taken to an area hospital, Jones said.

Further information on the conditions of the Mustang passenger and the Jeep driver were not made available.

Another fatal collision in Sumter County happened early Wednesday morning, according to Jones.

At about 1:20 a.m., the driver of a 2006 Toyota Scion was killed when the car ran off the left side of Beckwood Road and crashed into a ditch, Jones said. That’s between U.S. 521 and S.C. 81, about 2 miles from Sumter Airport.

The driver was not wearing a seat belt and died on the scene, according to Jones.

The Sumter County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the Toyota driver after notifying the next of kin.

No other injuries were reported in the collision, which like the wreck on U.S. 15 is still being investigated by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.

Through Wednesday morning, 281 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Of those, 194 of the victims had access to seat belts, but 89 were not wearing them, DPS reported.

At least eight people have been killed in Sumter County crashes in 2021, and seat belts were not used in six of the deaths, DPS reported.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.