Teen killed in crash on prom night by suspected drunken driver
GREENVILLE COUNTY., S.C. (WSPA) – A head-on crash claimed the life of a South Carolina high school student on the night of her prom.
Trinity Brandasia Harrison, 18, was on her way home from the prom Saturday night when she was in the crash, according to Greenwood School District 51 Superintendent Dr. Fay Sprouse.
The head-on collision happened around 11:30 p.m. on Highway 25 in southern Greenville County near the Twin Chimney Landfill.
Troopers say Carter Owen, 27, was driving a Volkswagen southbound on Highway 25 when he crossed the center line and hit a Dodge head-on.
Trinity was a passenger in the Dodge, according to troopers. She and the driver, 26-year-old Tanisha Maddox, were taken to the hospital where the coroner says Trinity later died.
Tanisha’s condition is unknown at this time.
Carter Owen of Pelzer was airlifted to the hospital. Troopers say he’s been charged with felony DUI resulting in death.
His condition is still unknown.
“Her personality, her spirit, her smile… everything pretty much about Trinity will be missed,” said Trinity’s dance coach Tavoris Miller.
Paul Anderson, the principal of Ware Shoals High School, tells 7News that Trinity was an active member of student council and was dearly loved by her classmates.
Trinity was a longtime dancer at Fiya Dance University. She inspired others including her dance coach.
“She would push me. I would push her as a dance,” Miller told 7News. “We would always joke, sit down and have talks and everything.”
Her coach says Trinity loved two things more than anything else. “She enjoyed life. That’s one thing she enjoyed,” he said. “She was a family girl. She loved her mom.”
The tragedy has left a hole in the fabric of the tightly knit Ware Shoals community, according to the District Superintendent.
Despite the tragic loss, those who knew Trinity plan to celebrate her life because that’s what she would have wanted.
The principal of Ware Shoals High School tells 7News students are being asked to gather in the auditorium on Monday morning to discuss the tragedy and speak with grief counselors.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.