Teen from Blythewood and Columbia woman killed in head-on crash, coroner says

A teenager from Blythewood and a woman from Columbia were killed early Sunday morning in a head-on crash, according to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.

Sierra S. Rosario, 17, was driving a car that was hit by an SUV going the wrong direction on Interstate 26, Coroner Margaret Fisher said.

Both Rosario and Christian D. Lucille, the 34-year old driving the SUV, died at the scene of the accident, according to Fisher.

The collision happened at 5:30 a.m., at the 119 mile marker, said Lance Cpl. Nick Pye of South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s near Exit 119 on I-26, which is the junction with U.S. 21 and U.S. 176.

Rosario was heading east in a 2018 Hyundai sedan when it was hit by a 2011 Jeep SUV traveling in the opposite direction in the eastbound lanes, Pye said.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word if the drivers wore seat belts. Information about why the Jeep was traveling in the wrong direction was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by Highway Patrol.

Through Friday afternoon, 576 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, state Department of Public Safety data shows.

At least 31 people have been killed in Lexington County crashes in 2021, according to DPS.