By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- • Diana Sparrow, sister of Carolyn Virginia Collins, 64, filed a wrongful death lawsuit June 1, 2026, in Richland County Circuit Court against the City of Columbia, Richland County, the Columbia-Richland Fire Department, and fire engine driver Bryan Richardson.
- • Collins was killed July 12, 2025, when a Columbia-Richland fire engine traveling north in a southbound lane on Two Notch Road struck her vehicle as she attempted a left-hand turn from a median.
- • The lawsuit alleges Richardson was driving in excess of 65 mph in a posted 45-mph zone and drove against traffic flow while responding to a lightning-strike house fire; Richardson was subsequently ticketed by South Carolina Highway Patrol for driving at an unreasonable speed.
- • The lawsuit additionally alleges Richardson failed to activate the fire engine’s emergency lights and sirens — a claim that conflicts with prior media reports and a Highway Patrol release, which stated the lights and sirens had been engaged.
- • Sparrow’s attorney, Shaquana Cuttino, is seeking a jury trial with damages covering medical costs, burial expenses, pain and suffering, and attorney’s fees; named defendants have 30 days from being served to respond.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The estate of a Columbia woman killed last year in a collision with a responding fire engine is pursuing legal action against the City of Columbia, Richland County, the Columbia-Richland Fire Department, and the driver of the apparatus, following a July 2025 crash that officials say occurred while the engine was en route to an active structure fire.
Carolyn Virginia Collins, 64, was killed at approximately 6:49 p.m. on July 12, 2025, when a Columbia-Richland Fire Department engine driven by Bryan Richardson struck her vehicle on Two Notch Road. According to the lawsuit and a South Carolina Highway Patrol report, Richardson was driving northbound in a southbound lane at the time of the collision. Collins was attempting to make a left-hand turn from a median when the impact occurred. She died at the scene.
The fire engine had been dispatched that evening to a lightning-strike fire on Bradford Ridge Lane in northeast Columbia, where one home had been engulfed in flames and two others damaged. Several engines were called to the scene. The lawsuit, filed June 1, 2026, in Richland County Circuit Court by Collins’ sister, Diana Sparrow, alleges Richardson drove at more than 65 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone and operated the vehicle against the flow of traffic. Richardson was subsequently issued a traffic citation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol for driving at a speed not reasonable under conditions, according to court records.
The suit names the City of Columbia and Richland County — which jointly manage the fire department — as defendants, alleging both entities were negligent in their training and supervision of Richardson. The lawsuit states that the department, city, county, and Richardson each owed a duty of care to Collins and the public to ensure emergency vehicles are operated in a manner that does not endanger civilian motorists.
The lawsuit also alleges Richardson failed to operate the engine’s emergency lights and sirens at the time of the crash. That allegation directly conflicts with prior media reports and a South Carolina Highway Patrol statement following the collision, both of which indicated the lights and sirens had been activated. The State newspaper has filed a public records request for the Highway Patrol’s full investigation report.
Sparrow, acting as representative of Collins’ estate and represented by attorney Shaquana Cuttino, is seeking a jury trial and asking the court to award compensatory damages including medical costs, burial expenses, and other economic losses, as well as damages for pain and suffering and attorney’s fees. Under the terms of the suit, all named defendants have 30 days from the date of service to file a response. The Columbia-Richland Fire Department had not issued a public statement in response to the filing as of the date of publication.