One high school student killed and another hurt in crash, SC officials say

Noah Feit
·2 min read

One high school student was killed and another was injured Sunday in a crash on Interstate 26, South Carolina officials said.

Rysaun D’Marian Foster, a 17-year-old West Columbia resident, was the driver who died, according to Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher.

Foster was a student at Brookland-Cayce High School, according to Lexington District 2 officials.

Another Brookland-Cayce High School was a passenger in the vehicle and was injured, Lexington 2 officials said. Further information on the surviving student’s condition was not available.

The single-vehicle collision happened Sunday at about 12:10 a.m., according to the coroner’s office.

Foster was driving west on I-26, and near the 110 mile marker the vehicle ran off the right side of the highway and crashed into a tree, Fisher said. That’s in the area between U.S. 1 and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Both students were taken to an area hospital, where Foster was pronounced dead due to his injuries, according to Fisher.

No other injuries were reported.

“We are heartbroken to have learned the news that two of our Brookland-Cayce High School students were involved in a car accident early this morning, with one passing away and the other injured,” Lexington 2 officials said in a news release.

Additional district and school counselors, social workers, and psychologists will be at Brookland-Cayce High School Monday to support students, staff, and families, according to the release.

“We will continue to hold the families and loved ones of these two students in our thoughts during this incredibly difficult time,” Lexington 2 officials said.

Information about why the vehicle veered off I-26 was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office and the West Columbia Police Department.

Through Sept. 27, 727 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 33 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 53 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.