Authorities have identified two people who lost their lives following a tragic head-on collision in Richland County over the weekend.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the deadly crash occurred just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 26 near mile marker 107.5, in the area of Bush River Road. Investigators said a 2023 Hyundai sedan was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of the interstate when it collided head-on with a 2018 Nissan SUV that was heading west. The impact proved fatal for both drivers.
Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford later confirmed the identities of those who died in the crash.
23-year-old Josiah J. Evan of Columbia was identified as the driver of the Hyundai sedan. Officials say Evan was traveling in the wrong direction on the interstate at the time of the collision. His life was tragically cut short in the violent impact, leaving behind grieving family and friends now faced with sudden and devastating loss.
The driver of the Nissan SUV was identified as 31-year-old Dyquan Hykeem-Jamaal of Lexington. Like Evan, Hykeem-Jamaal did not survive the crash and was pronounced dead as a result of the injuries sustained in the head-on collision. Loved ones of Hykeem-Jamaal are now mourning a life lost unexpectedly in the early morning crash.
Both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage in the impact, and emergency responders arrived to find both drivers deceased at the scene. No other passengers were reported in either vehicle.
At this time, officials have not released further details regarding what led the Hyundai to travel in the wrong direction on the interstate. The South Carolina Highway Patrol continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
This devastating incident has left two families mourning profound loss, as investigators work to piece together the moments leading up to the fatal collision on I-26.
