Jasper Co. coroner names 3 killed in crash after car hydroplaned, struck another vehicle
A hydroplaning vehicle caused a two-car crash Monday morning in southern Jasper County, claiming the lives of three Savannah residents: Rodrigo Hernandez-Soto, 25, Abraham Hernandez-Soto, 18, and a minor who has not been publicly identified, according to the Jasper County Coroner’s Office.
The accident occurred around 6:40 p.m. Monday, as a silver Toyota Corolla traveled north on Bellinger Hill Road, a curved state route that branches off of S.C. 315. The car hydroplaned into the opposite lane and T-boned a 2016 white Hyundai Tucson SUV traveling south, according to Jasper County Coroner Willie P. Aiken.
All three people in the Toyota were pronounced dead at the scene, Aiken said in a release Tuesday night. Their cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma.
Two passengers in the Hyundai were taken to Savannah Memorial Hospital in critical condition. The driver was also hospitalized for minor injuries. An update on the three people’s condition was not available as of early Wednesday afternoon.
Aiken said investigators do not know whether the deceased driver and passengers were wearing seat belts.
Funeral arrangements for Rodrigo and Abraham Hernandez-Soto are pending from Adams Funeral Services in Savannah, according to the men’s obituaries.
The crash was Jasper County’s first fatal traffic accident in 2024, according to data from the S.C. Department of Public Safety. It was the second in the Beaufort-Jasper area; a 45-year-old Hilton Head man died in late January after his Tesla struck a tree off Spanish Wells Road.
The S.C. Highway Patrol and Jasper County Coroner’s Office are investigating Monday evening’s accident.
This story was originally published February 7, 2024 at 1:11 PM.
