A woman was struck and killed while crossing Sam Rittenberg Boulevard near Orleans Road at approximately 6:05 p.m. Thursday, closing one of West Ashley's busiest corridors for hours as investigators worked the scene. The driver remained on scene, and police say the woman was walking outside a crosswalk when she was hit.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to counton2.com, which also reported that the driver stayed at the location after the collision. Police told Live 5 News the unidentified woman was walking outside of a crosswalk when she was struck. As of a report published Friday, the station noted the collision remained under investigation and that no charges had been filed.
The WCIV report on the crash, published Friday, corroborates the timeline and the scope of the road closure that followed. Both northbound and southbound lanes of Sam Rittenberg Boulevard were shut down while the scene was processed Thursday evening.
Road Reopened Hours Later
The roadway stayed closed until approximately 8:30 p.m., the same report from counton2.com states, meaning the closure stretched across the evening rush before crews cleared the scene.
The Charleston County Coroner's Office said it will release the woman's identity when appropriate, per the same account from counton2.com. Police have asked anyone with information about the crash to contact the Charleston Police Department Traffic Unit at (843) 965-4084.
14th Fatal Crash of the Year for Charleston Police
Thursday's crash marks the 14th traffic-related fatality investigated by Charleston police so far in 2026, according to counton2.com. It is the latest in a string of deadly collisions along Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, a stretch of road that has seen multiple fatal pedestrian crashes in recent years.
In November 2021, a male pedestrian was struck and killed by a northbound vehicle near Downing Street at 10:38 p.m., with the driver fleeing the scene, according to the Post and Courier. That victim, who was not publicly identified as of the day after the crash, also died at the scene. The Post and Courier reported that 2021 crash was the 17th traffic fatality Charleston police investigated that year, with six involving a vehicle striking a pedestrian and two involving bicyclists being hit.
Another fatal pedestrian crash on the same boulevard claimed the life of Randolph Goff, a 65-year-old from Charleston, who was struck while attempting to cross on Jan. 12 and died in the hospital over a week later, as reported by ABC News 4. That case underscores how often this corridor has turned deadly for people on foot, even as the circumstances of Thursday's crash remain under investigation and no charges have been announced.
