Warrenville, S.C. — Easter Sunday started like any other quiet morning in Aiken County, but it ended in heartbreak after a deadly crash claimed the lives of 21-year-old Colton Sanders and 17-year-old Jasmine Ambs.
The crash happened around 10:51 a.m. in the 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway when Sanders, who was riding a 2026 Kawasaki motorcycle, collided with a 2020 Subaru while traveling west. Both Sanders and Ambs were thrown from the motorcycle in the violent impact.
Emergency responders arrived quickly, but the situation was already severe. The Aiken County Coroner’s Office confirmed both were pronounced dead at the scene at about 11:00 a.m., just minutes after the crash.
Sanders, a welding student at Aiken Technical College, was operating the motorcycle. Ambs, only 17, was riding as his passenger and was also identified as his girlfriend. Their deaths left family and friends in shock as word spread through the community.
The driver of the Subaru survived the crash and was taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Authorities have not released further details about the driver’s condition or identity.
Officials noted that initial identification of the victims was delayed due to thermal injuries caused in the crash. Autopsies are scheduled for next week in Newberry as part of the ongoing investigation.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Aiken County Coroner’s Office are still working to determine exactly how the collision happened, as questions remain about speed, visibility, and road conditions at the time of the crash.
