RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating an accident that was immediately followed by a hit-and-run on I-20 early Saturday morning in Richland County.
According to Corporal Matt Southern with the Highway Patrol, the initial accident happened around 1:40 a.m. on westbound I-20 near mile marker 75. Southern said that a 2005 Honda Civic was traveling on the interstate when it left the road on the right side and struck a guardrail.
The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was then ejected back onto the interstate. At some point, investigators say an unknown westbound vehicle then struck the ejected driver and left the scene.
The ejected driver died in the ordeal, though it's unclear whether the first or second incident is the cause of death. Corporal Southern deferred to the Richland County Coroner's Office for additional information about the victim.
At this point, the Highway Patrol is working alongside the agency's Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) to uncover more about the crash. Authorities tell WLTX that investigators were on the scene again later on Saturday morning reconstructing the scene.
At this point, no description has been released of the suspect vehicle.
