An 84-year-old Rock Hill man was killed after being struck by a vehicle while walking along McConnells Highway, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Marcus Hicklin was identified as the victim, and his death is now under investigation by South Carolina authorities.
According to WSOC TV, York County Coroner's Office officials responded Sunday to investigate the crash at 4390 McConnells Highway in Rock Hill. Hicklin was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet reported, citing the coroner's office.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol and the York County Coroner's Office are both investigating the crash, per the same report. Examination and toxicology testing are expected to be completed during the week of Nov. 2, with results still pending as of this writing.
Questions Remain About Crash Circumstances
It likewise remains unclear whether Hicklin was in a crosswalk, at an intersection, or elsewhere along the roadway when he was hit. No statements from witnesses, law enforcement, or Hicklin's family have been released publicly.
Part of a Troubling Pattern on South Carolina Roads
Hicklin's death follows a string of recent pedestrian fatalities across the state. A man was struck and killed while crossing Savannah Highway in Charleston's West Ashley neighborhood in late October, according to Live 5 News. Days later, the South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a pedestrian died in an early-morning crash on U.S. 301 in Orangeburg County, as detailed by WIS-TV. Just days before Hicklin's death, a pedestrian was killed after being hit by a truck in Spartanburg County, FOX Carolina reported, also citing the Highway Patrol.
These cases arrive even as national pedestrian deaths have been trending downward. Pedestrian deaths fell 11% in early 2025 compared with the same period the year before, the largest recorded drop since the Governors Highway Safety Association began tracking the figures 15 years earlier, according to indexjournal.com. Drivers nationwide struck and killed 3,024 people in the first half of 2025, 371 fewer than during the same period in 2024, the outlet reported.
South Carolina Still Ranks Among the Deadliest States for Pedestrians
Despite the national decline, South Carolina posted a pedestrian fatality rate of 3.0 deaths per 100,000 residents in early 2025, among the highest rates of any state, per the same indexjournal.com report. Nationally, pedestrian deaths in 2024 totaled 7,080 and accounted for 18% of all crash fatalities that year, according to iihs.org.
That same data shows pedestrian deaths in 2024 were 72% higher than their lowest point in 2009, and that 84% of 2024 pedestrian deaths occurred in urban areas. Notably, people age 70 and older had 40% of their pedestrian deaths occur at intersections in 2024, per iihs.org, a detail that underscores the heightened risk older pedestrians like Hicklin can face on the road.
Final examination and toxicology results in Hicklin's case remain pending, and no further details about the circumstances of the crash have been released. Hoodline will update this story as investigators release additional information.
