Mother and daughter killed in seven-vehicle collision, South Carolina officials say

Two people were killed early Sunday morning in a multi-vehicle crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The seven-vehicle collision happened at about 2 a.m. in Spartanburg County, said Master Trooper Gary Miller.

The wreck occurred near the 60 mile marker on Interstate 85, according to Miller. That’s close to the exit that’s a junction with S.C. 101 in the Greer area of South Carolina’s Upstate region.

Information about what caused the collision was not available, but officials said it involved a disabled vehicle on I-85, WYFF reported.

The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office said that 49-year-old Heather Holman Padgett and her daughter, 23-year-old Nicole Padgett, were the victims who died, WBTW reported. The coroner said that the women were residents of Bonneau, which is more than 200 miles from the crash scene in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

The coroner said more people were injured in the crash, according to WHNS. Further information about the number of people who were hurt, and their conditions, was not available.

There was no word if any of the people involved in the collision were wearing seat belts.

Miller did not say if the Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the wreck.

Through Wednesday, 129 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 999 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 11 people have died in Spartanburg County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 82 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.

This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 7:22 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription