KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Authorities are investigating an accident that injured a baby and left one man dead on Sunday afternoon in Kershaw County.
Officials say the accident was called into 911 at 3:54 p.m. Sunday and crews were dispatched to the scene, near the intersection of Watson and Bowen Streets in the Elgin area.
Crews arrived at the scene to find a car upside down in a pond, according to officials. The deputy and fireman that arrived on the scene first pulled a baby and one male from the car.
The driver, identified as 27-year-old Bernard Eric Taylor of Columbia, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Kershaw County Coroner David West. Taylor was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.
Troopers say Taylor, who was driving a 2003 Volkswagen, was traveling west on Bowen Street when he went off the left side of the road, struck a fire hydrant and overturned into a retention pond, fully submerging the vehicle.
A one-year-old baby was taken by EMS to Kershaw Health and later flown to Prisma Health Richland with life-threatening injuries, accord to S.C. Highway Patrol. Officials say the baby was in an approved car seat at the time of the accident. As of 8:30 p.m. Sunday, there was no word on the baby's condition.
"We heard a loud boom," said neighbor Melissa Simmons. "It just seems like Bowen Street is really bad for accidents. We don't know what's been going on on this street but neighbors are kind of concerned because so many accidents are happening on the road."
"We've had accidents happen out here before, so whenever we hear something, we let each other know and kind of go check it out and make sure everyone is alright," said neighbor Cody Simmons. "I just saw the car that was flipped over. The front part of it was in the pond area."
Troopers with the S.C. Highway Patrol are investigating the accident.
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