Coroner: High speed, BAC of the driver "major factors" in crash
All four victims in the Jan. 18 car crash that killed two USC students and a former student had blood alcohol content levels higher than the legal limit and “evidence of recent marijuana use,” according to a release from Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. Brian McGrath, the driver of the vehicle and a third-year history student, had a .157 BAC.
Kelsey “Kel” Harris, a backseat passenger and fourth-year economics student, had a .192 BAC.
Front seat passenger Billings “Billy” Fuess IV, a former student who attended USC in the fall, had a .160 BAC.
The other backseat passenger Melinda Pipp, who was not a USC student, had a BAC of .136.
A BAC of .08 or higher constitutes driving under the influence, according to South Carolina DUI Laws.
“The high BAC of the driver and speed were major factors in the crash,” according to the coroner’s release.
McGrath, who was driving the group in his gray Dodge Charger, lost control of the vehicle and collided with the Farm Bureau Insurance building near the intersection of George Rogers Boulevard and Shop Road around 5 a.m. All four died from “multiple trauma” resulting from the accident, and autopsies showed all of the victims were dead prior to the fire that engulfed the vehicle, according to a previous release from Watts.
The car was traveling 90 mph in a 40 mph zone, according to a police report released Feb. 7.
Jan. 18 was Harris’ 23rd birthday, according to the release. The four victims were seen after midnight leaving the Wild Hare Sports Café, where Pipp worked. They were seen again around 3:30 a.m. leaving Uncle Fester’s sports bar on Devine Street, the previous release said.
“This is further devastating news in a tragic situation,” said Luanne Lawrence, USC’s vice president for communications. “We do not want to revictimize the friends and the families who just learned this news themselves today. We cannot imagine the further grief they are feeling, and our hearts continue to ache for their losses.”