Bicyclist killed by vehicle while walking her bike near Shelter Cove on Hilton Head

A pedestrian walking her bicycle was struck by a vehicle and killed Thursday morning near Shelter Cove Towne Center on Hilton Head Island, the South Carolina Highway Patrol reported.

The as yet unidentified 78-year-old female pedestrian stepped into the roadway by a crosswalk near an intersection about 10:30 a.m. Thursday and was struck by a white Honda minivan traveling east on U.S. 278, said Lance Cpl. Matt Southern with S.C. Highway Patrol.

The wreck comes amid a local spike in pedestrian and bike fatalities.

Last year, there were 11 bike and pedestrian fatalities in Beaufort County, nearly double any of the previous 10 years, according to S.C. Department of Public Safety statistics.

In 2016, there were three cyclist fatalities on Hilton Head alone.

The driver in Thursday’s collision, a Hilton Head woman, was not injured in the wreck nor were the minor passengers who were also in the vehicle. There were no signs that she was impaired at the time of the wreck, the highway patrol reported.

No charges have been filed, but the case is still under investigation, Southern said.

The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office declined to identify the deceased woman pending notification of next of kin.

This story was originally published February 16, 2017 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Bicyclist killed by vehicle while walking her bike near Shelter Cove on Hilton Head."