Felony DUI charge upgraded in Lancaster Co. crash that killed 5-year-old

Felony DUI charges have been upgraded against a Lancaster County man accused in a car wreck that killed a 5-year-old boy last week, authorities said Monday afternoon.

The wreck happened Thursday afternoon on Flat Rock Road, about three miles north of the town of Kershaw.

Jamarei Patterson, 5, died around 9 p.m. Friday, a spokesman for the S.C. Highway Patrol said. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office is awaiting autopsy results to determine a cause of death.

Lonnie Patterson, 34, of Lancaster previously was charged with two counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury and one count of child endangerment after the single-car wreck. On Monday afternoon, the Highway Patrol said Patterson’s criminal charges have been upgraded to one count of felony DUI resulting in a death.

Police have not said how the driver and the boy are related.

Patterson was driving a 2000 Dodge sport utility vehicle last week when the vehicle drifted left of the center line and went off the left side of the roadway, said Highway Patrol spokesman Lance Cpl. Gary Miller. The vehicle then struck a utility pole and a tree before overturning.

Patterson was taken by ambulance to Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster for treatment of minor injuries, authorities said.

Miller said there were two passengers in the SUV with Patterson: Jamarei Patterson and a 10-year-old boy.

The 10-year-old was taken by helicopter to Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia. Jamarei Patterson was taken by ambulance to Springs Memorial Hospital, then by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Lonnie Patterson and the two boys were wearing seat belts and were not ejected, Miller said.

Family members told The Herald’s news partner, WSOC-TV, that Jamarei Patterson was supposed to start school Monday at McDonald Green Elementary School.

The second boy, his brother, remains hospitalized.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Felony DUI charge upgraded in Lancaster Co. crash that killed 5-year-old."