Mother of three killed when car crashes into ditch and utility pole, SC officials say
A South Carolina woman was killed when a minivan ran off the road and crashed, the Aiken County Coroner’s Office said.
Summer Booth, a 30-year-old Graniteville resident, died at the scene of Friday’s crash after suffering blunt force injuries, Coroner Darryl Ables said.
The single-vehicle collision happened around midnight, according to Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell of South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Booth was driving a 2014 Dodge Caravan west on Huber Clay Road, Tidwell said. That’s about 3 miles from Midland Valley High School.
When she was near the intersection with Lee Drive, the minivan ran off the right side of the road and hit a ditch before crashing into a utility pole, according to Ables.
Booth was not wearing a seat belt, Ables said.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word about what caused the minivan to veer off the road, but the crash continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office and Highway Patrol.
No autopsy was scheduled, but the results of toxicology tests are pending, according to Ables.
Information on funeral arrangements for Booth has not been made public, according to Hatcher Funeral Home. Booth is survived by three children and her parents, among other relatives, her obituary said.
“You always brightened up my day with your beautiful smile, you will truly be missed!” one person said in an online tribute.
Through Friday, 121 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Of those, 91 had access to seat belts, but 45 were not wearing them, DPS reported.
Last year, 1,149 people died in crashes in South Carolina, and seat belts were not used in 680 instances, DPS reported.
At least two people have been killed in Aiken County crashes in 2022, and seat belts were not used in either of the collisions, according to the DPS. There were 35 deaths on Aiken County roads last year, and seat belts were not used in 22 of the crashes, DPS data shows.
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This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 1:16 PM.
