Driver charged with felony DUI
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
A Beaufort County woman was killed Saturday night, March 7, in a crash along Savannah Highway in Charleston County, according to authorities.
The Charleston County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Phyllis Miller, 69, of Beaufort County, who died from injuries sustained in the collision.
The crash happened shortly before 8 p.m. March 7 in the Ravenel area along Savannah Highway, according to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say a pickup truck driven by Ricardo Hernandez-Martinez, 44, attempted to cross the southbound lanes of the highway and pulled in front of an SUV carrying Miller and three other people.
The SUV then struck the truck.
Miller and the three other occupants of the SUV were transported to area hospitals following the crash. Miller later died from her injuries, officials said.
Hernandez-Martinez was arrested at the scene and charged with felony DUI resulting in death or great bodily injury, according to the sheriff’s office. He was not injured in the crash.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Services Unit continues to investigate the collision.
Authorities have not released the conditions of the other passengers who were injured.
Savannah Highway is a major corridor connecting Charleston and communities along the South Carolina coast, including Beaufort County, and it is frequently traveled by residents heading to and from the Charleston area.
This report includes information first reported by ABC News 4 (WCIV).
Delayna Earley, joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.