Columbia, SC : Three teenage girls dead after Bay Road crash on Thursday, December 22nd 2016

Three teenage girls are dead after a single-vehicle wreck Thursday morning on Bay Road in the Burgess area of Horry County.

A 14-year-old female from St. James Middle School, a 15-year-old female from St. James High School and a 15-year-old female from Socastee High School died from injuries sustained in the wreck, according to Horry County Deputy Coroner Michelle McSpadden.

The families requested the girls’ names not be released, and the coroner’s office is honoring that request, the deputy coroner said. McSpadden did not clarify when asked by a Sun News reporter if the identities would officially be announced.

By Thursday afternoon, several people had begun to circulate the names of people they thought were among the dead on Facebook.

While the driver in the wreck has not been named, none of the people in the car would have been eligible to drive at the time of the crash without a parent or guardian.

South Carolina law allows 15-year-olds to receive a beginner’s permit to drive. If someone is at least 15 and a half years old and in possession of the permit for 180 days, they can receive a conditional license. Even with the conditional license, drivers must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian if on the roads between midnight and 6 a.m.

The crash happened about 3:15 a.m. on Bay Road near Blue Heron Boulevard and Freewoods Road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The driver of the 2006 Toyota pickup truck, who was wearing a seat belt, was headed west on Bay Road when she crossed the center line, said Lance Cpl. Matt Southern with the SCHP.

Source :
Three teenage girls dead after Bay Road crash