Coroner: Alcohol, Speed Factors in Deadly Crash

The four young people who in January were drinking and smoking marijuana before the wreck, said Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.

Toxicology reports show that the driver of the vehicle and the three passengers all had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit, Watts said.

The driver, 22-year-old Brian McGrath, had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.157, Watts said. The legal limit for South Carolina is 0.08. 

The report also showed recent marijuana use in all four victims, Watts said. 

Speed was also a major factor in the wreck, Watts said. McGrath's Dodge Charger reached 90 mph before he hit an insurance building near Williams-Brice Stadium, according to a report in The State.

McGrath and 23-year-old passenger Kelsey C. Harris were students at the University of South Carolina.

Passenger Billings S. Fuess IV, 22, was a former USC student. Another passenger, Melinda S. Pipp, 24, also died in the wreck.