UNION COUNTY, S.C. — Two young women from Lancaster were killed a violent car crash in Union County on Saturday, March 16.
Carol Santiago, 19, of Lancaster, died from her injuries at the crash site, according to the Union County Coroner’s Office, and Cristal Lopez, 19, died Tuesday.
Santiago was a passenger in a 2006 Toyota Corolla that Lopez was driving south on S.C. 9 when the crash occurred about 4:10 p.m.
A 2019 Chevrolet pickup truck was heading north when the two vehicles collided head-on near the intersection of Kelly Road, about 6 miles north of the town of Union.
Both drivers were transported to Spartanburg Medical Center, where Lopez died March 19.
The Union County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy will be performed on Lopez.
Silberio Francis, an ESL teacher at Iglesia Centro Cristiano Luz & Verdad in Lancaster, remembers the two women for being positive role models to members throughout the community.
According to Francis, both were Lancaster High School graduates on their way to military training when the crash occurred.
“These two young ladies had been doing everything right,” he said.
Francis, who had known the two women since their youth, said that both were involved in the Spanish choir, staying away from trouble, being family-oriented and attending church regularly.
“They have put in a blueprint for the next generation,” he said.
Funeral arrangements are underway for Santiago.
The collision remains under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol.
