SUMTER, SC (WBTW) – A deadly car accident that happened early Tuesday has been deemed the result of an apparent road rage incident, officials with the sheriff’s office confirm.
According to a press release, SC Highway Patrol responded to a report of a car on its side on fire on Dubose Siding Road about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
One person was ejected from the car and killed, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office says. The deceased was identified by Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker as Teona Tyler, 24, of Sumter.
Law enforcement received a second call from another person who says they were hit on Dubose Siding Road. The caller said they knew who hit their car and identified Tyler, the victim of the fatal accident, as the other driver.
The SCHP turned over what was then deemed to be a crime scene investigation to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the press release says.
According to deputies, the other driver said Tyler threatened her earlier in the day and to avoid the confrontation, the other driver left her home as Tyler arrived. The driver of the second car said Tyler followed her and then drove on the wrong side of the road in order to slam the other vehicle and force it off the road.
After the two cars collided, Tyler’s vehicle left the road, hit a pole and flipped on its side before catching fire.
The caller said when Tyler’s vehicle struck hers, her airbags deployed, several lights inside her vehicle came on and she could not see what happened to Tyler’s vehicle. She said she continued to drive along Dubose Siding Road to Westbury Mill to be sure Tyler was not still following her before stopping to call 911.
“This is a tragic situation that never should have happened,” said Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis in the press release. “Had traffic been coming in the opposite direction, even more people might have died. As horrible as this is, it could have easily been much worse.”
SCSO has requested a MAIT team investigation from the SCHP in order to further confirm evidence in the case.
