Richland County Crash: A deadly early-morning wreck on Interstate 26 has left two families in deep mourning after a wrong-way collision near Bush River Road claimed the lives of both drivers.
The crash happened just before 12:30 a.m. on Sunday near mile marker 107.5, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Investigators say a 2023 Hyundai sedan was moving eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-26.
That Hyundai, driven by 23-year-old Josiah J. Evan of Columbia, collided head-on with a 2018 Nissan SUV traveling westbound. The impact was immediate and devastating, leaving both vehicles destroyed on contact.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene and found both drivers had already died from their injuries. There were no passengers in either vehicle, and no other injuries were reported in the crash.
Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford later confirmed the identity of Josiah J. Evan. Officials said he was the driver traveling in the wrong direction at the time of the collision, though the reason for that remains unclear.
The second driver was identified as 31-year-old Dyquan Hykeem-Jamaal of Lexington. Authorities confirmed he died at the scene after suffering fatal injuries in the violent head-on impact.
Investigators have not yet explained what caused the Hyundai to enter the interstate going the wrong way. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is still working to reconstruct the final moments before the crash.
For now, what remains is a stretch of highway marked by a sudden loss that has shaken two communities. Families on both sides are now left trying to process a night that ended in irreversible tragedy.
