Fatal Accident in South Carolina Took the Lives of Two Ridgefield Residents
A fatal car accident took place at 5am on Wednesday morning in Columbia South Carolina and claimed the lives of four young adults. Two of the victims, Brian M. McGrath (son of Patrick and Evelyn Rowan McGrath) and Billings S. Fuess IV (father and step-mother, Dr. Bill Fuess and Pamela Miles of Ridgefield) were from Ridgefield and best friends since high school. Two of the victims were students at The University of South Carolina, including McGrath, and Fuess was a former student of USC.
The accident occurred on George Rogers Boulevard when the car driven by McGrath ran off the road and hit the Farm Bureau Insurance building. At that point, the vehicle burst into flames. It appears from the autopsies performed on all of the victims that they were killed prior to the fire.
Richland County Coroner Gary Watts reports that McGrath was driving the vehicle and Fuess was the front seat passenger. The vehicle belonged to Mr. McGrath. Two girls (one of whom turned 23 the day of the crash) were in the back seat.
All four of the victims were seen together at a couple of local nightspots prior to the collision, the left The Wild Hare Sports Café after midnight to go to another location, One of the female passengers was an employee of the Wild Hare Sports Café. They were seen leaving together in Mr. McGraths vehicle from another nightspot called Uncle Fester’s sometime after 3:30am.
A statement from The Presdient of University of South Carolina is posted below:
It is with great sadness that I share with you the news that yesterday morning we lost three members of our university family. This afternoon the names of the victims of yesterday’s tragic car accident that occurred off George Rogers Blvd. were released. Among the four deceased were two USC students, Kelsey Harris and Brian McGrath, and one former student, Billings Fuess.
I know that in spite of our grief, we as a university will come together to help each other through this extraordinarily difficult period. Please know the university has already made available free counseling services for students, staff and anyone who needs to speak with a professional to help cope with the tragedy. Help is available through 803-777-5223.
Losing a young life is the most painful experience and yesterday four vibrant spirits were lost. Please keep their surviving family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Harris Pastides
President, University of South Carolina