Person ejected from car, killed in 2-car crash on I-77 in Columbia

One person was killed after being ejected from a vehicle in a two-car interstate crash Friday afternoon in Columbia.

The crash happened around 4:20 p.m. on northbound Interstate 77 near mile marker 7, not far from the Shop Road exit, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol.

The driver of a Honda Civic veered off the left side of the highway, striking a guardrail, officials say. When the car bounced back into the driving lane, it was struck by a Dodge Ram pickup truck.

The truck then went off the left side of the roadway, running into a cable barrier. The truck driver, who was wearing a seat belt, was not injured.

The driver of the Civic, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the car, troopers said. The driver was taken to Palmetto Health Richland hospital and died of injuries sustained in the crash, troopers said.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts identified the victim Saturday as Joshua Craig Weatherford, 29, of Columbia. The cause of death was blunt trauma to the upper body, Watts said.

This story was originally published February 3, 2018 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Person ejected from car, killed in 2-car crash on I-77 in Columbia."