KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office said that a 17-year-old driver died after taking a sudden unexpected turn while being pursued by a deputy on Sunday morning.
According to a statement released a few hours later, the sheriff's office said the pursuit began sometime after 1 a.m. at a closed Dollar General store located on U.S. Highway 1 South between Elgin and the Lugoff community.
A deputy reported seeing two vehicles parked in the side parking lot of the store and went to investigate. However, one of the vehicles jumped the curb and drove away at high speed.
The deputy, who had apparently already gotten out of the patrol car, returned and began to chase the escaping vehicle, the sheriff's department said.
"The deputy had almost caught up to the vehicle when it made a sudden left turn onto Richardson Boulevard," the statement continued.
Authorities said that, in doing so at high speed, the 17-year-old driver was unable to clear the turn and crashed into a large tree in the nearby woods.
The driver did not survive, the sheriff's office said. The South Carolina Highway Patrol's Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team has since been called in to investigate.
The agency has since released preliminary details regarding the crash, with Master Trooper Gary Miller adding that the vehicle in question was a Toyota Camry and that the driver was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The agency's initial report adds that the vehicle traveled off the roadway and down an embankment during the crash.
The Kershaw County Coroner's Office has since identified the victim as Laila Rose Houser, a senior at Camden High School.
