Deadly DUI Crash on Highway 25 in Greenville County: What Passengers Need to Know About Their Rights in South Carolina

A fatal crash on one of Greenville’s busiest corridors raises a question too many families don’t think about until it’s too late — what are a passenger’s legal rights when someone else causes a crash?

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On the evening of March 2, 2026, the South Carolina Highway Patrol responded to a deadly collision on White Horse Road (U.S. Highway 25) near West Marion Road in Greenville County. According to Fox Carolina, a Tesla struck a Chevrolet Malibu around 7:23 p.m. as the Malibu attempted a left turn out of a private driveway. One passenger in the Malibu, Angelica Sebastian Pablo, 47, was pronounced dead. Four other people — including both drivers and additional passengers — were transported to the hospital with injuries.

The Tesla’s driver, Heidy Joselyn Ramirez-Morales, has since been charged with felony DUI resulting in death — one of the most serious traffic charges in South Carolina.

Highway 25 through Greenville County is one of the Upstate’s most heavily traveled commercial corridors, and the speed of traffic along this stretch makes left-turn movements from private driveways especially hazardous when an approaching driver is impaired. This crash was far from random. It was the predictable consequence of someone choosing to drive drunk on a road where other people’s lives depended on their judgment.

While the criminal case plays out in Greenville County courts, the families of those who were injured — and the family of Ms. Pablo — are left with a different set of questions: Who can file a civil claim? What does it mean for a case’s value when the driver faces felony charges? And what rights do passengers have when the crash was caused by someone else entirely?

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Passengers Have Full Rights to Pursue Civil Claims — Including Against an At-Fault Driver

One of the most common misconceptions in personal injury law is that only the occupants of the vehicle that “wasn’t at fault” can bring a claim. That is not the law in South Carolina.

Passengers injured in any vehicle involved in a crash have the right to pursue a personal injury or wrongful death claim against whoever caused the collision. Because passengers play no role in how a driver operates their vehicle, they are typically the most straightforward claimants in a crash case — fault questions that might affect a driver rarely apply to a passenger at all.

In a crash like the one on Highway 25, the Malibu’s occupants were entirely innocent. They were in a vehicle they didn’t control, going somewhere they chose to go, and were struck by a driver who — according to law enforcement — was impaired. South Carolina’s civil system gives those passengers full rights to pursue compensation. The family of the passenger who was killed has the right to pursue a wrongful death claim. The others who were injured have the right to pursue personal injury claims for their medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

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What a Felony DUI Charge Means for a Civil Case in South Carolina

South Carolina draws a sharp line between standard DUI and felony DUI under S.C. Code § 56-5-2945. When an impaired driver causes death or great bodily injury, the charge elevates from a misdemeanor to a felony — with mandatory minimum prison time and long-term license consequences.

For families pursuing a civil case, this distinction carries significant weight, because a felony DUI charge creates the legal foundation for punitive damages.

In South Carolina, punitive damages are available in civil cases when the defendant’s conduct was not merely careless, but reckless, willful, or wanton. Driving while impaired to the point that it results in criminal felony charges has consistently been recognized by South Carolina courts as exactly that kind of conduct. Punitive damages are not designed to compensate the victim — they are designed to punish the defendant and send a message to others who might consider the same behavior.

This is one of the most significant differences between a DUI injury case and an ordinary negligence case. The exposure to punitive damages can substantially increase the total value of a claim, and insurance carriers handling DUI cases know it.

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The Civil Case Is Independent From the Criminal Case — and Does Not Wait for a Conviction

A common question from families after a DUI crash is whether the civil case has to wait for the criminal case to conclude. It does not.

South Carolina’s civil and criminal systems operate independently. A wrongful death or personal injury lawsuit can be filed and actively pursued while criminal charges are pending. In fact, moving quickly matters — evidence becomes harder to preserve over time, witnesses become harder to locate, and certain records have retention limits.

The legal standards are also different. A criminal DUI conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt — a very high threshold. A civil claim requires only proof by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning the plaintiff must show it is more likely than not that the defendant’s conduct caused the harm. A criminal acquittal does not bar a civil recovery, and in some cases, the parallel civil process can actually help preserve evidence relevant to the criminal matter.

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Wrongful Death Claims in South Carolina: What Families Need to Understand

When someone dies as a result of another person’s negligence or recklessness, South Carolina law (S.C. Code § 15-51-10 et seq.) permits the deceased’s personal representative — typically a spouse, parent, child, or court-appointed administrator — to bring a wrongful death claim on behalf of surviving family members.

Recoverable damages in a South Carolina wrongful death case can include:

• Medical expenses incurred before death
• Funeral and burial costs
• Loss of financial support and services the deceased would have provided over their lifetime
• Loss of companionship, guidance, and consortium for surviving family members
• The pain and suffering experienced by the deceased between the moment of injury and death
• Punitive damages where the at-fault driver’s conduct was reckless or willful

Wrongful death cases are among the most consequential claims in personal injury law. The loss is permanent, and South Carolina law recognizes that the harm to a surviving family extends far beyond the financial.

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If You Lost Someone in a Crash Caused by an Impaired Driver — What to Do First

After a fatal crash, families are often overwhelmed — managing grief while insurance adjusters are already making contact and paperwork is piling up. Here are the most important early steps:

• Do not give recorded statements to any insurance company before speaking with an attorney
• Preserve everything — accident reports, hospital records, photographs, and any communications from insurers
• Request the SC Highway Patrol collision report as soon as it becomes available
• Do not accept any early settlement offer — especially before the full scope of injuries, losses, and available coverage is understood
• Contact a personal injury attorney with experience handling wrongful death cases in South Carolina as early as possible

South Carolina has a three-year statute of limitations for wrongful death and personal injury claims, but moving quickly preserves evidence and options that may otherwise be lost.

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If you or a loved one were injured as a passenger in a South Carolina car accident — or if you lost someone in a crash caused by an impaired or reckless driver — you have rights, and the law is on your side. At Biazzo Injury Law, we represent passengers, crash victims, and grieving families across the Carolinas. We offer free consultations and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Contact us today to discuss what your case may be worth.

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The facts referenced in this article reflect publicly reported information from Fox Carolina. This post is intended for general educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is different; contact an attorney to discuss your specific circumstances.