3 siblings with ‘infectious smiles’ among 5 relatives killed in crash, officials say
Five relatives — including three siblings — were killed in a car wreck, according to South Carolina officials.
They were killed in a head-on crash with a tractor-trailer hauling cars on Interstate 26 at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger told McClatchy News in an email.
The tractor-trailer and another vehicle crashed into each other on the interstate, causing the semi to veer out of control and cross the median, Clevenger said. The car hauler then collided with a 2004 Honda Accord, which had the five relatives inside, he said.
The coroner’s office identified them as 35-year-old Ashia Michelle Ballenger, 14-year-old Ashton Isaiah Olley, 11-year-old Jaicurious Treyvon Gist and 8-year-old Jalecia Andrea Gist. The fifth person has been presumptively identified as 57-year-old Leroy Covington, according to the coroner’s office. DNA results to confirm Covington’s identity are still pending, Clevenger said.
Ashton, Jaicurious and Jalecia were siblings, Clevenger said. Ballenger was their aunt and Covington was their grandfather, he said.
The childrens’ older sibling, Alexis Olley, had just seen Jalecia and Ballenger the day of the car crash. The loss of the five family members is “heartbreaking,” Olley wrote on Facebook.
“Never knew Saturday would be the last goodbye or last I love you man this is so hurtful,” Olley wrote.
The loss of the three siblings also devastated the local community, Spartanburg County School District Six wrote on Facebook on Feb. 28. They were each a “special part” of the schools they attended and will be remembered for their “vibrant personalities and the joy they brought to our classrooms,” the district said.
“Ashton, Jaicurious, and Jalecia were all loving students with infectious smiles,” the district wrote.
Their deaths are an “unimaginable loss” for those who knew them, the school system said.
The “tremendous loss” of the children, their grandfather and their aunt was unexpected for the rest of the family, according to a GoFundMe. Now, the family is planning funeral arrangements to “honor them,” according to the GoFundMe.
“Our family was not prepared for this horrific tragedy,” the GoFundMe said.
Spartanburg County is about 90 miles northwest of Columbia.
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 5:38 PM with the headline "3 siblings with ‘infectious smiles’ among 5 relatives killed in crash, officials say."
