Driver charged with reckless homicide in traffic death of 3-year-old

Gabriel Arteaga

A Spartanburg man is behind bars after being charged in the traffic death of a 3-year-old girl that occurred Sunday afternoon on Highway 76 at Chestnut Ridge Road about three miles west of Laurens.

Garbriel Arteaga, 25, of Spartanburg has been charged by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with reckless homicide and driving without a license in the death of Madison A. Hines, 3, of Gray Court.

Reckless homicide in South Carolina carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

The two-car collision occurred at 4:10 p.m. when a 2008 Chevrolet pickup traveling north on Chestnut Ridge Road ran a stop sign and struck a 2020 Cadillac SUV in the side, killing a child that was in the right rear seat, said South Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper Gary Miller.

The driver of the SUV and two other passengers – all members of the Hines family – were transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Arteaga, who was driving the pickup, was also injured and transported to the hospital. A passenger in the pickup was uninjured.

The accident is still under investigation by the SCHP, Miller said.

The Hines family are members of Chestnut Ridge Baptist Church in Laurens, and the church held a prayer service for them Monday night.