A 59-year-old Seneca woman has died after being struck by a vehicle while crossing Highway 28 Bypass in Anderson County early Thursday morning. Judith Anne Hathaway was hit around 5 a.m. near Frampton Street and later died at the hospital from multiple traumatic injuries, according to officials.
The Anderson County Coroner's Office said Hathaway was wearing dark clothing at the time she was hit, according to WYFF4. She was taken to the hospital after the collision but did not survive her injuries. The coroner's office has not released additional details about the driver, the vehicle involved, or whether any citations have been issued.
What We Know So Far
The crash happened along a stretch of Highway 28 Bypass at its intersection with Frampton Street, a section of roadway in Anderson County. Beyond the time, location, and Hathaway's clothing, officials have not disclosed how the crossing unfolded or whether an investigation into the circumstances remains open. WYFF4's report, citing the coroner's office, remains the primary account of what happened that morning.
Pedestrian deaths involving vehicle strikes tend to raise similar questions about visibility, especially in low-light hours before sunrise. Nationally, a pedestrian was killed in a traffic crash every 74 minutes in 2024, with 7,080 pedestrian deaths and more than 71,000 injuries recorded that year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Federal highway safety researchers have also found that nearly 74 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur away from intersections, with vehicle speed often a contributing factor, per the Federal Highway Administration.
A Pattern Seen Beyond South Carolina
Pre-dawn pedestrian fatalities have made headlines elsewhere in recent weeks. In Colorado Springs, a pedestrian was struck and killed just before 5 a.m. on Aug. 7 and was later identified as 40-year-old Tracey Yost, according to FOX21 News. That crash, at the intersection of Palmer Park and North Powers Boulevards, involved a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck traveling north on Powers Boulevard, and police said neither speed nor alcohol were considered factors. It marked the city's 39th traffic fatality of 2026, compared with 34 at the same point the previous year, the station reported.
South Carolina keeps its own running count of traffic deaths through the state Department of Public Safety, though the agency notes its published figures are preliminary and based on fatal collisions compiled as of a specific cutoff time each month, per the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. Hathaway's death adds to a string of pedestrian fatalities across the Upstate region in recent years, including a 2023 case in neighboring Oconee County in which the coroner's office identified the victim as 47-year-old Joshua Michael Lewis, according to WSPA.
No further details have been released about the crash that killed Hathaway, and officials have not said whether the investigation is ongoing. Hoodline will update this story if the Anderson County Coroner's Office or law enforcement provide additional information.
