Read more from greenvilleonline.com:
A rural community in southern Greenville County mourned today for an 18-year-old girl who was killed in a car crash after leaving her high school prom.
Rikki Paige West of Belton died this morning from injuries suffered in the crash on South Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville, said Barry Wright, a deputy with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
She was a Woodmont High School student, a sweet girl with a ready smile, a neighbor said, about to begin her adult life.
West was in a Ford Mustang with three other teens on their way to the AMF Star Lanes bowling alley, deputy coroner Barry Wright said. They were southbound on Pleasantburg and the driver was about to turn left onto Cleveland Street Extension when a back seat passenger said they needed to turn right, he said.
“And he subsequently turned right from the left-hand turn lane, crossing all the lanes of traffic, and the Ford pickup stuck them broadside in the passenger door, Wright said.
West received treatment from an off-duty emergency-room doctor who happened upon the scene shortly before midnight, he said. The doctor continued giving her treatment inside the ambulance that took her to Greenville Memorial Hospital.
She died at 12:31 a.m. of head and chest injuries, Wright said. She was not wearing a seat belt, he said.
The other teens were treated for injuries that are not life-threatening, as was the 21-year-old driver of the other car involved, a Ford pickup, Wright said.
The tragic news spread quickly through the area where West lived, a pastoral region of cornfields and hay bales intersected by narrow, winding country roads where expanses of forest and grassland lie between homesteads.
Overwhelmed with shock and grief, West’s mother was being comforted by family and friends on the front porch of her home this afternoon.
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i saw about this on facebook!! i did not know who she was because i live in florida, however i saw this link and wanted to see what happened. its such a bad thing to happen to such a young girl.. i am praying for sure for the family. may god be with them. all i can say is shes definatley an angel in heaven!
paige was a great girl friends and family gathered last night for a candle burnout at her favorite hangout at 1am . It was beautiful for a last minute thing and being a school night alot of people were there. she is also having a blooddrive done in her memorial at woodmont highschool on mon 5/14 from 11-6 and will be on the news. paige would have loved all of this
however one thing in this was stated incorrectly paige was wearing a seatbelt it was actually cut during the impact
Thank you for clarifying this for readers. My heart goes out to all those affected by this tragedy.
-Rob