Lexington County teenager killed when car crashes into oncoming SUV, officials say

A West Columbia teenager was killed and two other people were injured Saturday in a crash, the Lexington County Coroner’s Office said.

Connor George Ilisie, 17, died at the scene of the accident, Coroner Margaret Fisher said.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 2 a.m. in the 1500 block of South Lake Drive, according to Lance Cpl. Nick Pye of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s in Lexington, about 2 miles from Exit 55 on Interstate 20.

Ilisie was driving a 2013 Ford sedan west on South Lake Drive when the car crossed the median into the eastbound lanes and hit an oncoming 1998 Dodge SUV, officials said.

A passenger in the Ford suffered serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital, Fisher said. Further information on the passenger’s condition was not available.

Neither Ilisie nor the passenger wore a seat belt, according to Fisher.

There was no word if the driver of the SUV was wearing a seat belt, but that person was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Fisher said. Further information on the SUV driver’s condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported.

Information about what caused the Ford to veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sept. 24, at least 766 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 33 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, 57 deaths were reported there, according to DPS data.