Driver trying to escape police crashes into SUV and woman dies, SC officials say
One person was killed Monday, and three more were injured, when a car leading a police chase was in a head-on crash with an SUV on a Midlands road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Shirley Fincher, a 76-year-old Saluda resident, is the victim who died in the two-vehicle collision, Saluda County Coroner Angie Rita said. Fincher was a passenger in the 2022 Chevrolet Traverse that was hit by the 2005 Honda Accord that was leading the pursuit, according to Rita.
At about 11:15 a.m., the Honda sedan was driving west on U.S. 178, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the Highway Patrol. It was near the intersection with Prater Road that the Honda driver tried to elude Batesburg-Leesville police officers and crossed left of the center line then crashed head-on with the Chevy SUV that was driving east on U.S. 178, according to Bolt.
Fincher died at the scene, Rita said.
The drivers of both vehicles and a passenger in the Honda were hurt and taken to area hospitals, officials said. Further information on their conditions was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if anyone involved in the wreck was wearing a seatbelt.
No arrests have been reported, and information about why police were trying to stop the Honda was not available.
The deadly crash will be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office, while what led to the chase is being investigated by the Batesburg-Leesville Police Department.
Through Sunday, 733 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least three people have died in Saluda County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were six deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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