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Troopers: 3 dead, 2 hurt in Lancaster County multi-vehicle wreck

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Three young people are dead, and two others are hurt after a serious crash in Lancaster County Sunday afternoon, troopers said.

The Highway Patrol responded to the four-vehicle wreck around 1:10 p.m. on Highway 200 near Zion Road.

According to troopers, three vehicles, including a convertible, motorcycle and Hyundai Coupe were traveling north on the road, and a Volvo truck tractor was traveling south.

The driver of the Hyundai then tried to pass the motorcycle and sideswiped it before colliding with the truck head-on, causing the truck to burst into flames. Officials said the convertible was struck by debris from the crash.

The Highway Patrol said the driver of the Hyundai, Juan Gonzalez, 19, and two passengers in the car were killed. Both passengers were minors and their identities will not be released due to their ages. Officials said they were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

Jonathan Phipps, the superintendent of Lancaster County Schools, spoke with Channel 9′s South Carolina reporter Greg Suskin about what his small town school district is dealing with after the crash.

“Things happen so fast, in a moment life can change,” Phipps said. “As important as academics are, that is not the most important thing. The relationships we have with our students and their safety and taking care of them in the good times and the bad times and treating them like family.”

Gonzalez graduated last year from Lancaster High School and another person who was killed in the crash was a current student at the high school. The third person who lost their life attended A.R. Rucker Middle School.

“I’ve spoke to some folks at the schools today, and one staff member broke down with me and it’s hard,” Phipps said.

The Lancaster School community is mourning the loss of two students and a former student in that 4-vehicle crash on Hwy...

Posted by Greg Suskin, Channel 9 on Monday, April 19, 2021

The motorcyclist and truck driver were taken to a hospital for their injuries. The driver of the convertible was not hurt.

This is an ongoing investigation. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates