Two die in SUV crash on I-85
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

Two young Gaffney men getting a ride home after an evening in Spartanburg early Saturday morning were killed when the driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel and crashed on Interstate 85.

While the investigation is ongoing, officials with the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Cherokee County Coroner's Office said a 1992 Ford Explorer driven by Joshua C. Futrell, 19, of East Third Street, was headed north on the interstate at about 5 a.m. when it crashed near the 90-Mile marker.

Two passengers in the rear seat of the vehicle, Nathaniel Resper Jr., 16, of North Logan Street, and Michael Sentell Davidson, 21, of Lincoln Street, both died several hours after the crash from their injuries.

Futrell, who was wearing a seat belt, was treated and released from Spartanburg Regional Medical Center on Saturday. His front seat passenger, 19-year-old Jonathan Phillips, was listed in serious condition on Sunday, according to a Spartanburg Regional spokeswoman. Phillips' condition had been upgraded since Saturday, when he was listed in critical condition.

A rear seat passenger sitting on the driver's side of the vehicle, 20-year-old Robert Robertson, was treated and released from Upstate Carolina Medical Center, according to a nursing supervisor.

According to Lance Cpl. Josef Robinson of the S.C. Highway Patrol, Futrell fell asleep at the wheel, drove off the left side of the road, then overcorrected and drove off the right side of the road, where his vehicle struck an embankment and overturned several times.

Resper was ejected from the vehicle while Davidson was trapped and had to be extricated. Neither man was wearing a seat belt.

Both men were taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

Coroner Dennis Fowler said Davidson died at 7:26 a.m. on Saturday while Resper died at 10:50 a.m.

Three people have died on Cherokee County highways thus far this year.