December 30, 2010

AIKEN, S.C. -- A law student and a college student were killed in a head-on collision last night, the Aiken County coroner said.

24-year-old Alexander Bush of Aiken was driving and 22-year-old Katie Scott was a passenger when their Ford Explorer was hit head-on on Highway 302 (Wagener Road) near the Aiken Electric building, coroner Tim Carlton said in an e-mail.

Bush died at the hospital last night. Katie Scott died this afternoon at a local hospital.

Bush was home on break from law school at the Charleston School of Law. Scott was a student at the College of Charleston

The two had gone to Aiken for dinner and were returning to Scott's home in Couchton.

Steven Corley of Salley was driving a Nissan Pathfinder. Witnesses say he was speeding and driving erratically before trying to pass another vehicle heading west on Highway 302, Carlton said.

The two SUVs collided head-on. Corley was taken to the hospital; toxicology tests are pending.

The accident happened around 6:30 p.m., and the road was closed for several hours.

South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and will use an accident reconstruction team.