Bond set on man charged in deadly Horry County crash

Sunday, Dec 09, 2007 - 11:32 PM Updated: 11:50 PM
By Jody Barr
E-mail | Biography

The Highway Patrol charged a man with 2 counts of felony DUI involving death, one charge of felony DUI involving bodily injury, one count of leaving the scene involving death and a charge of driving without a license.

A county magistrate set bond on Gorge Hernandez Sunday at the county jail.

Troopers charged Hernandez following a crash late Friday night on Highway 319, just outside Conway.

Troopers said Hernandez was driving north on Highway 319 when he ran off the road, hit a ditch and flipped several times.

Investigators said Hernandez was driving a 2001 Ford Explorer and the SUV caught fire when it crashed.

Emergency crews took one victim to the hospital Friday night with a broken neck, two others inside the vehicle died at the scene, their bodies burned, according to the Highway Patrol.

Troopers say Hernandez was driving the vehicle and left the scene following the crash, but authorities said they later tracked Hernandez down and arrested him late Friday night.

Hernandez told the judge during his bond hearing Sunday that he was is in the country illegally.

Horry County coroner Robert Edge told News13 the victim who survived the accident is Manuel Lopez.

Edge said the other two vicitms' bodies are at the Medical University of South Carolina for an autopsy, the identities of the two victims were not know as of press time.

The judge set bond on Hernandez at more than $75,000.

You can count on News13 to continue to follow this story as it develops.

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