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Simms Leigh Ottinger Wilson

Age : 37

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 03/11/2021

Location : 102 Camellia Circle, near Buford Street

City : Gaffney

County : Cherokee

State : South Carolina

Agency : North Carolina State Highway Patrol; Cherokee County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed in police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: Outstanding warrants.
NARRATIVE:
On 03/11/2021, 37-year-old Simms Leigh Ottinger Wilson of Shelby, North Carolina, was killed while riding as a passenger in a Jeep that crashed during a police pursuit that began in Cleveland County, North Carolina, and continued into Cherokee County, South Carolina. The driver, 25-year-old Preston Emory Grant, was also killed.

A North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper attempted to stop Grant in Cleveland County because Grant was wanted on several outstanding felony warrants. Grant continued away from the attempted stop and the trooper pursued the Jeep toward South Carolina.

During the North Carolina portion of the pursuit, the state trooper crashed. The trooper survived. Grant continued into Cherokee County, where Cherokee County Sheriff's Office deputies joined the pursuit.

At approximately 7:20 p.m., Grant lost control of the Jeep near Camellia Circle and Buford Street in Gaffney. The Jeep left the roadway and struck a large tree in the front yard of a residence at 102 Camellia Circle.

Wilson and Grant were ejected from the Jeep and pronounced dead at the scene. Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler subsequently identified both occupants. Autopsies determined that Wilson and Grant died from injuries sustained in the collision.

The 03/11/2021 Cherokee County entry in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System documenting two fatalities corresponds with this independently documented two-state police pursuit.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wyff4.com/article/man-woman-die-in-cherokee-county-crash-following-chase/35824241
https://accidentdatacenter.com/us/south-carolina/greenville-spartanburg-sc-asheville-nc-anderson-sc/gaffney/21/03/11/preston-emory-grant-25-and-simms-leigh-ottinger-wilson-37-killed-when-ejected-car-crash-near