Columbia Man Dies After Man Fleeing From Police Causes Multi-Vehicle Collision

Excessive speed is a leading cause of traffic fatalities. Speeding is especially dangerous in residential neighborhoods, where pedestrians and bicyclists are plentiful, and where the other cars are traveling at low speed because of low speed limits and frequent traffic lights and stop signs.  When you are driving on the interstate highway or on a busy urban street, it is easy not to notice that you are speeding until you see a police car, but the reasons that people drive at high speeds in areas where the speed limits are low are usually more sinister.  When someone drives at double the speed limit in a residential area, it is usually because of drugs or alcohol.  People also tend to speed, without regard for the danger they are causing to others, when they are trying to flee from police because they fear that they will be arrested for some other reason.  If you have suffered serious injuries in a collision where the at-fault driver was traveling at a recklessly high speed, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.

Richland County Police Chase Ends in Tragedy

Ernest Kenner perfectly fit the definition of an innocent bystander to the events leading up to the traffic collision that claimed his life.  In December 2022, Shylek Pringle was driving, despite that his driver’s license was under suspension due to a DUI case.  When he saw a Richland County Sheriff’s Office patrol car, he increased his speed, presumably in an effort to elude the deputy, or else to prevent the deputy from seeing his license plate and identifying it as belonging to someone who was not legally allowed to drive.  The deputy pursued him, and the chase led to Browning Road.  Pringle was driving into oncoming traffic when he collided with Kenner’s Mitsubishi Outlander SUV before colliding with a third vehicle.  Kenner, 74, died of injuries sustained in the collision, while the driver of the third vehicle sustained injuries severe enough to require hospitalization.

Pringle, 23, could face criminal charges for the collision, including vehicular homicide; he could also be charged for eluding an officer and for driving with a suspended license.  Even before the DUI case that led to his current driver’s license suspension, Pringle had several prior convictions, including for weapons charges and for drug possession.  Sheriff Leon Lott said that the accident serves as an example of the dangers of prioritizing letting convicted defendants serve their sentences in the community over minimizing risks to the public.  Residents of the neighborhood where the collision occurred said that it serves as a reminder of the dangers of speeding.

Let Us Help You Today

The personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you if you or a family member suffered serious injuries in an accident caused by excessive speed as a result of a police chase.  Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.

Source:

wistv.com/2022/12/02/one-dead-after-high-speed-pursuit-richland-county/