COLUMBIA, S.C. - Three Monetta residents died in a car accident during a police chase in Lexington County.

Driver Isaac Cullum, 24, his girlfriend, Josephine Grant Thomas, 30, and his cousin Patrick Eugene Harris, 31, were killed Friday night when their 1976 Chevrolet Nova hit an oak tree at an intersection.

The chase began when a Batesburg-Leesville officer noticed the car driving in the wrong lane, said state Highway Patrol spokesman Josef Robinson. The officer turned on emergency lights and sirens to try to pull the car over, but it sped off, authorities said.

The chase reached speeds of 100 mph before the driver lost control of the car at the intersection. "That car was just torn to pieces," said Todd Caughman, Lexington County deputy coroner.

No one in the car was wearing a seat belt.

The state Highway Patrol is investigating the accident and Batesburg-Leesville police would not comment on the crash or the department's pursuit policies.

Alice Harris, a relative of Cullum and Patrick Harris, said the men and Thomas had just left Patrick Harris' home and intended to go to a local nightclub. Alice Harris described her nephew as an outgoing person who loved spending time with family.

She said he had a birth defect that left him unable to talk. "He had a way of communicating with sign language," she said. "He just liked being with the family and doing things."

Alice Harris said Thomas had four children.

Information from: The State