MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A Myrtle Beach police report now classifies the fiery Highway 17 Bypass crash that killed a Grand Strand restaurant employee as a reckless homicide.
The Sept. 27 crash happened on Highway 17 Bypass at Pine Island Road. Police have not publicly named the driver, referred to in the report only as the “offender.”
According to the report, the “offender” was driving a Ford F-150 north and crossed over the center median into the southbound lanes, hitting the front of a Chevy Traverse, driven by 37-year-old Serhii Babak.
A witness told officers that the Ford F-150 passed multiple cars at a fast speed and then lost control before crossing the median, the report stated.
“The impact was strong enough to cause both vehicles to stop instantly,” the report reads.
Both cars then caught fire and sustained major front-end damage.
A third car, a Chevy Cruze, then rear-ended the Traverse.
According to the report, the driver of the F-150 and other parties involved were also taken to the hospital with injuries.
WMBF News has reached out to a Myrtle Beach Police Department spokesperson to ask whether the department has made an arrest in the case. As of Wednesday, the spokesperson said he was still waiting to hear back from the department’s traffic unit.
Babak worked the grill at Atmosphera with his wife, a chef at Atmosphera. The restaurant has two locations: a cafe in Myrtle Beach at 3620 Walton Drive and a grill in Murrells Inlet at 4390 Highway 17.
Babak and his wife recently moved to the Grand Strand from North Carolina with their child to start a new chapter and work at Atmosphera.
Atmosphera created a fundraiser to help cover Babak’s funeral and burial expenses and support Babak’s family.
Stay with WMBF News for updates.
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