Claire Ann Pierce,Eliza Jane Udy Obituary, Death; – A man from West Columbia was incarcerated in a Midlands jail the day following a crash that resulted in the deaths of two women and injuries to another individual, as reported by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Abel Ramirez Ortega, aged 37, was apprehended on Monday and faces two counts of felony DUI resulting in death, according to Master Trooper William Bennett’s statement to The State. Additionally, Ortega has been charged with one count each of driving without a license and driving under suspension, as indicated by jail records.
He was operating one of the two vehicles involved in the collision that occurred on Sunday night at an intersection in Lexington County, as per the Highway Patrol’s report. The victims, Claire Ann Pierce, a 22-year-old resident of Lexington, and Eliza Jane Udy, a 21-year-old from Leesville, were passengers in the vehicle that met with the accident, which Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher described as an unfortunate incident.
At approximately 9 p.m. on Sunday, Ortega was driving a 2019 Jeep Laredo SUV eastbound on Ben Franklin Road. At the intersection with Neely Wingard Road, the SUV collided with a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu traveling south, according to the Highway Patrol. This location is in the Leesville area of Lexington County, near Exit 39 on Interstate 20. Officials reported that Pierce and Udy were among the three occupants of the Chevrolet.
Pierce succumbed to her injuries at the scene, while Udy was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead due to the injuries sustained in the accident, as stated by Fisher. Ortega was the sole occupant of the SUV, according to the Highway Patrol. Both he and the driver of the Chevrolet sustained injuries and were taken to a local hospital, where Fisher noted that their injuries were not life-threatening. Further details regarding the condition of the Chevrolet driver were not disclosed.
No additional injuries were reported. After receiving medical clearance from hospital personnel, Ortega was taken into custody and booked into the Lexington County Detention Center, as per jail records. Bond was denied for all four charges, and Ortega remains in custody, according to jail records. In 2020, Ortega faced charges for driving without a license and for operating a vehicle on the highway without registration.
