BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. () Two crashes in Beaufort County this weekend left two pedestrians dead.
Both fatal collisions happened on Highway 21, going southbound towards Beaufort.
Officials responded to both incidents in the early morning hours on Sunday.
Shortly after midnight, two cars heading south on Boundary Street near Broad River Boulevard collided with Rhonda Randall, a 35-year-old woman from Beaufort, who was in the roadway.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s office confirmed that Randall died on scene from blunt force injuries sustained from the automobile collision.
Both drivers remained on scene and were reported uninjured.
A few miles further along the highway, Vick Smalls, a 50-year-old also from Beaufort, was cycling southbound near Bruce K. Smalls Drive when he was struck by a vehicle moving in the same direction.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s office confirmed that Smalls died on scene from blunt force injuries sustained from the automobile collision.
The driver fled the scene, labeling the incident a hit and run.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) mentioned it is uncertain when Smalls was hit. They shared the information and images below regarding the vehicle that might have hit Smalls.
Dan Byrne with Burton Fire, the responding fire agency on both scenes, said it was dark on arrival for both incidents. He said that it is a dangerous time for folks to be out and about walking or riding on the busy highway.
“Don’t walk along the side. Don’t try to cross the road, don’t ride a bicycle, try to find another way to move if that’s what you need to do,” said Byrne. “People are traveling at a high rate of speed without being able to see what’s in front of them. Those aren’t roads you need to be walking on or trying to cross or walk in the median. Avoid those areas at night.”
Byrne said if your only option is to walk or ride a bike, make sure to have reflective gear to avoid a possible collision.
“If you have to ride your bike on these major roads at night, or if you have to cross the roadway, wear bright clothing or carry a flashlight so people will see you,” said Byrne. “Look left, right, left, right one more time just to make sure before you cross, because that seems to be the biggest issue…major roadways at night.”
There was a second hit and run involving two vehicles in Bluffton this weekend as well.
SCHP is investigating all three incidents.
