One dead after fatal collision on Colonial Drive

RICHLAND COUNTY, SC — Authorities say a person died Friday afternoon after fleeing police and crashed into a tree.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the collision occurred on Friday, June 14, 2024, at approximately 2:35 p.m. on Colonial Drive, approximately two miles north of the city of Columbia.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said officers attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. When officers activated their lights and sirens, the vehicle reportedly sped off to elude officers.

Police said the driver of the vehicle, a 2009 Ford Fusion, was traveling east on Colonial Drive when the car left the road near the intersection with Hurst Drive and struck a tree.

The driver, the only occupant of the vehicle, was taken to Prisma Health Richland and died at the hospital, police said.

The collision remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.