Driver killed in fatal Beaufort crash identified, passenger critically injured

A driver was killed and a passenger critically injured in an accident Thursday night in Beaufort, officials said.

The accident happened around 7:50 p.m. on Trask Parkway near the highway's intersection with Parris Island Gateway, according to Lance Cpl. David Jones, spokesman for the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The Beaufort County Coroner's Office identified the driver as 79-year-old Bertha Jenkins of the Big Estate community.

Jenkins was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe north on Trask Parkway when the SUV went off the right side of the road, Jones said.

She then apparently overcorrected, went off the left side of the road and the vehicle struck a tree, he said.

Jones reported that Jenkins was wearing a seat belt.

She was trapped in the SUV and died at the scene, according to Daniel Byrne, spokesman for the Burton Fire District.

A male passenger was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries, he said.

It was unknown whether he was wearing a seat belt.

Two lanes of Trask Parkway were blocked for about an hour while the accident scene was cleared.

This story was originally published May 11, 2018 at 7:11 AM with the headline "Driver killed in fatal Beaufort crash identified, passenger critically injured."