Collision kills two; three sent to MCG

Two people have died and three more were taken to the hospital after an early morning wreck in North Augusta Sunday.

According to Lt. Tim Pearson of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, a three-vehicle wreck happened just before 9:30 this morning on U.S. Highway 1. The accident caused the westbound lane to be closed from 9:30 a.m. until after 2 p.m.

"At 9:17 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, North Augusta Public Safety officers responded to a traffic collision on U.S. 1 in front of the Hippodrome. Upon arrival, officers found two individuals deceased," a statement from Pearson read.

An investigation revealed that a 1993 Cadillac driven by Anthony L. Williams, 58, of 816 Spruce St. in Augusta, was traveling north on U.S. Highway 1 on the wrong side of the roadway at a high rate of speed.

As the Cadillac crested the hill, just east of I-520, the Cadillac struck a 2008 Dodge pickup truck head on. The driver of the pickup truck did not require any immediate medical attention.

The Cadillac continued north on U.S. Highway 1 in the southbound lanes and struck a 2005 Chrysler minivan before coming to rest. The driver and front passenger in the minivan, who were both restrained, were taken to the Medical College of Georgia Emergency Room with incapacitating injuries. A rear passenger in the van, Erma Martha Harron, 76, of Balfour Drive in Richmond Hill, Ga., also wearing a seat belt, was found dead at the scene.

Williams, the driver of the Cadillac, was also pronounced dead at the scene due to blunt force trauma.

North Augusta Public Safety officers have requested toxicology reports from the coroner's office as they continue their investigation.

Three others were injured in this crash and transported to Medical College of Georgia with non life-threatening injuries, Coroner Tim Carlton said.

These two deaths bring the number of fatalities to 26 in Aiken County this year.

Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.