A year after a pickup truck struck and killed Greenville Water utility locator Cesar Humberto Peña Franco while he directed traffic in Taylors, his family says they still do not know exactly what happened, and no one has been held responsible. Peña's widow, Laure Peña, says not knowing has been one of the hardest parts of the last year, and the family is now offering a $1,000 reward for information that could finally solve the case.
The crash happened around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at the intersection of East North Street and Tammont Drive in Taylors, according to WSPA. Peña was wearing a reflective vest and performing utility locating work at the time he was hit by the pickup truck, and he was rushed to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead that night, per statements from the Greenville County Coroner's Office reported by FOX Carolina.
Peña had spent four years as a utility locator at Greenville Water and brought seven years of prior industry experience to the job, according to a memorial post from Greenville Water. Laure Peña said her husband is remembered as an amazing father and husband with a humorous and lighthearted spirit, and she said that humor and lightheartedness are now missing from the family. The couple had been married for 13 years, and Peña left behind three children.
No Charges, and a Family's Doubts About the Investigation
South Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway said shortly after the crash that the driver of the pickup truck was not immediately charged at the scene as troopers worked to determine fault, the same FOX Carolina report noted. A year later, Laure Peña said no one has been found responsible for her husband's death, and that the people involved should face consequences. The family believes investigators left holes in the case, and South Carolina Highway Patrol has been contacted multiple times about the status of the investigation without a response.
Peña's family also believes a second car was involved in the crash and hopes that a new witness will come forward with information. The $1,000 reward line, (864) 365-6171, was set up by the family in hopes of drawing out anyone who may have seen what happened at East North Street that evening. Community members had already rallied around the family last year, setting up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral and living expenses, according to FOX Carolina's earlier reporting, with friends describing Peña as an active volunteer in youth Scouting and local soccer.
A Broader Pattern of Danger for South Carolina Pedestrians
Peña's death came amid a grim year for pedestrian safety in South Carolina. At the time of the crash, state Highway Patrol records showed 91 pedestrians had already died on South Carolina roadways in 2025, according to WSPA. Preliminary data from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety later recorded 115 pedestrian fatalities statewide for all of 2025, with 105 more deaths logged as of early September 2026. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety's Daily Traffic Fatality Count, 115 pedestrians were killed in 2025 and 105 in 2026, a difference of -10.
The state's pedestrian safety crisis has drawn national attention. A Governors Highway Safety Association report published in July identified South Carolina as one of just seven states with a 2025 pedestrian fatality rate exceeding 3.0 per 100,000 residents, well above the national average of 1.97. Smart Growth America's 2026 “Dangerous by Design” report, published June 10, went further, ranking South Carolina fourth in the nation for pedestrian mortality and tallying 893 pedestrian deaths statewide between 2020 and 2024, as reported by South Carolina Public Radio.
Lawmakers Push Tougher Penalties for Roadside Crashes
A WLTX report discusses South Carolina's Move Over Law. The proposal would create felony charges carrying up to 25 years in prison for drivers who cause fatal collisions involving roadside workers. For the Peña family, that legislative push offers little comfort while the investigation into what happened to Cesar remains unresolved.
For now, Laure Peña and her three children are left waiting, hoping the reward and renewed attention will finally bring forward the answers that have eluded them for a year. As she put it, there has been no justice yet, and the family is not ready to stop asking questions about what happened on East North Street that Thursday evening.
