A late-night drive down Monetta Street turned fatal Monday when a northbound Honda Civic drifted off the pavement, slammed head-on into a tree, and caught fire.
Emergency crews rushed to the 400 block of Monetta Street around 9:12 p.m. after getting frantic calls about a car engulfed in flames. By the time rescuers pulled up to the scene, fire had already taken over the front of the vehicle.
First responders managed to pull a passenger out of the wreck. Emergency medical technicians treated the survivor at the scene before loading them into an ambulance bound for a regional hospital.
The driver was not as fortunate. Medical personnel pronounced her dead right at the crash site around 9:43 p.m., barely half an hour after the initial call came in.
Coroner officials identified the victim as Ashley Monique. However, officials stated that positive identification will require formal forensic confirmation due to the severe thermal injuries sustained during the fire.
An autopsy is scheduled to take place in Newberry as investigators work to piece together what caused the car to leave the road. Friends and family members in Aiken are now grappling with the shock of losing someone so suddenly on a quiet local street.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Aiken County Coroner’s Office are maintaining an open investigation into the incident. Officers have not yet released details regarding vehicle speed or potential road conditions that night.
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