Columbia woman killed when car hits SUV on Richland County road, SC officials say

A Columbia woman was killed in a late night crash at a busy Richland County intersection, South Carolina officials said Wednesday.

Juana Gutierrez, 47, is the driver who died, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 9:40 p.m. at the intersection of Two Notch Road and North Brickyard Road, according to Sgt. Sonny Collins of South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s near Spring Valley High School, in an area densely packed with restaurants and businesses.

A 2019 Toyota Crossover driving north on Two Notch Road was turning left onto North Brickyard Road, Collins said. Although the SUV had the green arrow, a 2020 Dodge Charger that was heading south on Two Notch continued through the intersection and crashed into the Toyota killing the driver, according to Collins.

No other injuries were reported.

Information about whether either driver wore a seat belt was not available.

There was no word if there will be any criminal charges, but the collision continues to be investigated by Highway Patrol.

Through Wednesday morning, 37 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,097 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS data shows.

At least four people have been killed in Richland County crashes in 2022, while 64 died last year, according to DPS.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.