One person killed, another arrested after crash between tractor and car, SC cops say
One person was killed and another arrested after a car collided with a tractor in a hit-and-run crash on a Richland County road late Tuesday night, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 10:30 p.m. on Lower Richland Boulevard, said Lance Cpl. Nick Pye.
A John Deere tractor was facing north on Lower Richland Boulevard, near the intersection with Air Base Road, working to remove a tree from the road, according to Pye. That’s in the Hopkins area, about a mile from Lower Richland High School.
A 2016 Hyundai sedan driving south on Lower Richland Boulevard collided with the tractor and then ran off the left side of the road, Pye said.
A passenger in the car died, and the driver ran away from the crash, according to Pye.
The driver, identified as 20-year-old Richland County resident Jalen Woodard, was later arrested and taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he was charged with leaving the scene of a collision involving death, Pye said. Information about where and when Woodard was taken into custody was not available.
No bond has been set for Woodard, who remains behind bars, jail records show. Following a bond hearing, Woodard is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 27, according to Richland County judicial records.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the car passenger.
Pye said neither Woodard nor the tractor operator was hurt, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if either Woodard or the passenger were wearing seat belts in the crash that continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 518 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 27 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 61 deaths in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 1:41 PM with the headline "One person killed, another arrested after crash between tractor and car, SC cops say."
