Authorities have booked Vernell Laurthel Hayes on multiple counts of felony driving under the influence resulting in death following a tragic crash overnight at the intersection of Highway 160 and Tillberg Way.
According to the Tega Cay Police Department, officers were dispatched to the intersection shortly after midnight following emergency calls reporting a serious vehicle-versus-motorcycle crash.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders discovered a grim situation. The male operator of the motorcycle had suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel. A female passenger riding on the motorcycle was critically injured and swiftly transported by paramedics to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. Despite efforts by medical staff to save her, she later succumbed to her injuries.
Officers at the scene took Hayes, the driver of the motor vehicle, into custody. Hayes was subsequently transported to the Moss Justice Center in York County, where he is being held pending formal arrest warrants.
The identities of the two victims have not yet been made public, as officials work to complete family notifications.
The Tega Cay Police Department confirmed that the incident remains under active investigation in coordination with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Law enforcement officials noted that no further details regarding the mechanics of the collision or additional charges will be released at this time as investigators continue to process evidence from the scene.
