South Carolina woman killed when Jeep crashes into car on I-26, coroner says
A woman was killed in a crash on Interstate 26 that left another person hospitalized, South Carolina officials said.
The two-vehicle collision happened March 2 in Berkeley County, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Crystal M. Mitchum, a 41-year-old Summerville resident, died in the accident, Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell said Tuesday.
Mitchum was a passenger in a 2000 Ford sedan that was parked in the emergency lane of the westbound side of I-26 at the 203 mile marker, according to Bolt. That’s about 19 miles north of Charleston.
At about 2:20 a.m., a 2000 Jeep SUV was driving west on I-26 when it ran off the right side of the highway and crashed into the rear of the disabled Ford, Bolt said.
Mitchum died at the scene, according to Hartwell.
The Jeep driver was hurt and taken to an area hospital, Bolt said. Further information on the Jeep driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if either Mitchum or the Jeep driver were wearing seat belts.
Information about what caused the Jeep to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Tuesday, 141 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 five people have died in Berkeley County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 60 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
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