Toddler dies after hit-and-run that hurt 2 other pedestrians, South Carolina cops say
A 1-year-old girl died after a South Carolina pickup truck driver hit several pedestrians, officials say.
The toddler was at a park before she and a group of six others started heading home on Sunday night, her family told WYFF.
That’s when a Dodge driver hit the child and two other pedestrians in a hit-and-run crash in Laurens County, according to a news release from S.C. Highway Patrol.
All three were hurt and taken to a hospital, Trooper Joe Hovis said.
The toddler, identified as Ay’Vah Tierani Samuel, later died, the Laurens County Coroner’s Office told WSPA and other news outlets.
Chief Deputy Coroner Vickie Cheek said “the autopsy revealed that Samuel died from blunt force trauma to the head,” according to the news station.
“Thank God the other babies are OK, but I got up and I just saw smoke and I saw my sister laying there face down,” Aysia Samuel told WYFF.
Officials say the others injured were a 15-year-old and a 20-year-old.
Now, highway patrol says the Dodge driver is facing charges in connection with the crash near Laurens, a city roughly 35 miles south of Spartanburg.
Adrian Daniel Brown, 33, was charged with leaving the scene with death, leaving the scene with injury and driving under suspension, according to state troopers.
He was still listed in the Laurens County inmate log as of Monday afternoon, records show.
Authorities as of Sunday night said they were still investigating the case.
The toddler’s first name is spelled Ayvah in some media reports.
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Toddler dies after hit-and-run that hurt 2 other pedestrians, South Carolina cops say."
