20-year-old Beaufort woman identified as victim in fatal crash near Laurel Bay

A 20-year-old Beaufort woman has been identified as the victim in a fatal late-night car crash Saturday in the Laurel Bay area.

Tayla Hill died Sunday after the Dodge Minivan she was driving was hit by a Ford pickup truck Saturday night, according to Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen and state law enforcement. The two-car crash happened about 10:45 p.m.

Hill was stopped at a stop sign at Bay Pines Road before turning onto Laurel Bay Road and being struck by a pickup driving eastbound, S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Matt Southern said.

Both drivers were taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Hill was later flown to Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where she died just after 1 p.m. Sunday.

Hill and the pickup driver both were wearing seatbelts, Southern said. The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries, he said.

This story was originally published November 19, 2018 at 10:38 AM.

Stephen Fastenau

The Island Packet

706-631-6079

Stephen Fastenau covers Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Islands for The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet. He has worked for the newspapers since 2010 in various roles as a reporter and assistant editor. His work has been recognized with awards from the S.C. Press Association, including first place for public service as part of a large team reporting on environmental contamination in a Beaufort military community. Fastenau previously wrote for the Columbia County News-Times and Augusta Chronicle. He studied journalism and political science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and lives in Beaufort. Support my work with a digital subscription