JENKINSVILLE – The passenger in a single-car accident was killed Saturday when the car in which she was traveling ran off Highway 215 near Jenkinsville.
Fairfield County Coroner Barkley Ramsey said Lucy Ann Hamlin, 56, of 3712 Highway 215 N. in Blair, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred just after 5:30 p.m. Hamlin was trapped inside the vehicle, Ramsey said, and emergency responders worked 45 minutes to free her from the wreckage. The driver, 57-year-old Johnnie Charles, also of 3712 Highway 215 N., was transported by EMS to Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, the S.C. Highway Patrol said.
According to the Highway Patrol, Charles was piloting a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt north on Highway 215 when he ran off the left side of the road and struck a tree approximately 9 miles from Jenkinsville. Both Charles and Hamlin were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident, the Highway Patrol said.
Ramsey said speed and alcohol are suspected to be factors in the accident. The crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.
