• E-Mail
• Print
• Larger
• Smaller

Published: Tuesday, Mar. 09, 2010 / Updated: Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010 12:04 PM

‘Cody’ wanted to be a history teacher

FORT MILL TOWNSHIP -- 

Dakota “Cody” Quinton had a penchant for Mozart’s classical tunes, friends said.

The Nation Ford High School graduate didn’t mind reading Ernest Hemingway. He could do a mean Marlon Brando impersonation.

And he had big plans for the future: He wanted to be a history teacher, his sister said.

But the dream ended early Sunday morning when Quinton died in a single-car wreck.

“He was hilarious,” Breanna Perkins said of her oldest brother. “He always knew when to make the air light in certain situations. He was goofy. He was one of a kind.”

Quinton, 18, of 7204 Meyer Rd. Fort Mill, died early Sunday from injuries suffered in a collision near Springfield Parkway and Gold Hill Road, York County Coroner Sabrina Gast and highway officials said.

Perkins on Monday struggled with how best to celebrate Quinton’s life and accept his absence. Quinton was on spring break from the College of Charleston, where he was a freshman. He returned to Fort Mill Friday, Perkins said.

“I don’t even know how I’m going to get through this,” Perkins, 15, said.

Funeral services are slated for Thursday, she said.

Zach White, 18, of Fort Mill, one of several of Quinton’s suitemates, noted the teen had at least one gift.

“He had some pretty good impressions of Marlon Brando,” White said of Quinton.

Impersonations Quinton did just to make his friends laugh, White said.

On Monday, Quinton’s family and college friends prepared for their final goodbyes. His death also struck a blow to his extended high school family. Quinton graduated last year from Nation Ford High, Principal Beverley Bowman said. His death marks the third time since October that the school has lost a current or former student.

“Another tragedy,” Bowman said. “I hurt for our students, and I hurt for his family. We have to work through that again.”

On Oct. 12, 2009, Michelle DiBernardini, 16, died when the car she was riding in collided with a pickup truck. Less than six days later, Luke Hoover, 17, died in a single vehicle wreck.

“I was really hoping and praying that we were done with losing students for a very long time,” Bowman said. “I’m pretty flabbergasted to know that we have another tragedy.”

Fort Mill schools Superintendent Keith Callicutt said: “We are always extremely saddened to learn of a death so young. My heartfelt prayers and sympathy go out to the family.”

Provisions were made Monday for grieving students, Bowman said.

“Even though he wasn’t a student at Nation Ford anymore, he was still connected,” Bowman said. “Even though he graduated, he was still one of ours.”

Gast said Quinton was on spring break at the time of Sunday’s wreck. While an autopsy will not be done, toxicology test were slated for Monday, she said.

The fatal wreck happened around 2:38 a.m., according to Lance Cpl. Josef Robinson of the highway patrol.

“He was driving east on Springfield Parkway, entered a curve, lost control, drove off the left side of the road, struck a utility pole and several trees before overturning,” Robinson said.

Officials later identified Quinton as the driver of the two-door 1995 Ford Mustang. Quinton, who was wearing a seat belt, was taken to Piedmont Medical Center, where he later died, Robinson and Gast said.

The speed limit for the area where Quinton was driving is 55 mph, Robinson said. Quinton’s speed was not available.

On Monday, family and friends described Quinton as “kind of quiet.”

“He was always personable,” Zach White said. “He taught me to be a nice person, to always be a good person.”

And a baby sister vowed never to forget her big brother.

“He’ll be missed very much,” she said. “He was a great guy.”

As of March 7, there have been 110 fatal crashes on South Carolina roads, according to the S.C. Office of Highway Safety. During that same time,120 people have died on the Palmetto state’s roads.