According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, a crash on Interstate 26 killed two people and critically injured another late Monday night.
Pedro Gutierrez, 21, of Gaston, and Michael J. Oneill, 75, of Charlotte, North Carolina, both perished in the crash, according to Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece on Tuesday.
According to Cpl. David Jones of the Highway Patrol, the three-vehicle crash occurred around 11 p.m. near the 66 mile marker on the eastbound side of I-26 in Jalapa, Newberry County.
Jones reported seeing a 2006 Ford van, a 2021 Chevrolet van, and a 2021 Nissan 4-door car driving east on I-26. According to Jones, the Chevy impacted the rear of the Ford, forcing it to spin out and crash into the side of the Nissan.
According to Jones, the Ford driver was brought to an area hospital and died there.
There were two passengers in the Chevy, and while the driver was taken to a nearby hospital with critical injuries, the passenger died on the scene, according to Jones.
The Nissan driver was not injured, according to Jones. No other injuries were reported.
It was unclear whose automobiles Gutierrez and Oneill were in when the accident occurred.
More information about the Chevy driver’s condition was not provided.
There was no information on whether anyone involved in the incident was wearing a seat belt.
The cause of the Chevy-Ford collision was unknown, but the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office are still investigating the crash. Gutierrez and Oneill will have their autopsies completed this week, according to Kneece.
According to the South Carolina Department of Transportation, at least one lane of Interstate 26 was closed until after 1 a.m.
According to the state Department of Public Safety, 465 people have died on South Carolina roadways as of Sunday in 2025. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, at least 948 persons were killed in collisions last year.
According to DPS data, at least seven individuals were killed in crashes in Newberry County in 2025. DPS reported eight deaths in the county in 2024.
A 48-year-old Winnsboro resident died late Saturday night when her automobile collided with a mailbox, a wooden post, an embankment, and a tree, according to the Highway Patrol.
