South Carolina teen dies in car accident on way home from father's grave

Crews work the scene after Matthew McClellion, 15, ran off the road in a fatal car crash Sept. 7, 2012. / WSPA-TV
(CBS/AP) ANDERSON, S.C. - A 15-year-old returning home from his father's gravesite was involved in a fatal one-car collision on Friday, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
Anderson County Chief Deputy Coroner Charlie Boseman says Matthew "Jet" McClellion was speeding when he lost control of his 1998 Mercedes convertible. CBS Spartanburg affiliate WSPA-TV reported that McClellion had driven off the right side of the road, hit a drain pipe and overturned.
Boseman says the teen died on impact about 8 p.m. Friday. Matthew was the only person in the car. A friend was driving behind him.
The coroner's report stated that speed was a factor in the accident, according to WSPA-TV.
The T.L. Hanna High School sophomore had visited his father's grave minutes earlier. Richard McClellion died June 19 after a long battle with cancer.
Matthew's funeral was set for 4 p.m. Monday. A candlelight vigil was scheduled to be held at the high school at 9 p.m. Extra counselors were made available at the high school to talk to students.
A makeshift memorial at the site Saturday included baseball bats, baseballs and flowers.
Deputy coroner Don McCown told WSPA-TV that accidents like these could be avoided if teens are better educated about proper behavior while driving.
"I don't think young people are intentionally not following rules. I think they just forget in the haste of the moment, peer pressure or a challenge by friends, and all those things can have serious repercussions," McCown said.
Popular on CBSNews.com
- Young victims of deadly Okla. tornado 10 Photos
- Clean-up efforts underway in Okla. 29 Photos
- Tsarnaev friend implicates dead brother, self in murders 175 Comments
- Forecasters warn: Up to 6 major storms this season
- Boy Scouts to vote on allowing openly gay members 246 Comments
- Body of child recovered from deadly Minn. landslide
- Hard recovery in store after Okla. tornado's devastation
- First funeral held for young Oklahoma tornado victim














Why, just why? I am so sick of seeing roadside memorials everywhere I drive. They're so distracting it's a wonder they haven't caused even more wrecks in those places. Remember the person in your heart and if necessary, visit the cemetery where their body is buried. Keep the memorials where they belong.
Having said that, this is terrible and I do feel for the friends and family. It's never easy losing someone suddenly and the younger they are the harder it is.
This is, indeed, a tragedy for the family and friends: First the father and now his son. My heartfelt condolences to them.
Drive through most small towns on a Friday or Saturday night; lots of them out there, not intentionally forgetting the driving laws.
A 15 year old nicknamed "Jet" with a 1998 Mercedes convertible. That's a good start.