Update: Coroner names 81-year-old woman killed in crash near Sun City main gate
A Bluffton woman was killed and another driver was hospitalized after a Saturday morning crash near the main entrance to Sun City Hilton Head.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased driver as 81-year-old Margaret Mallet. She was pronounced dead at Coastal Carolina Hospital about 40 minutes after the collision.
It happened around 10:12 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. 278 (Fording Island Road) and Sun City Boulevard, where Mallet’s 2014 Nissan Sentra traveling west collided with a 2015 Acura heading east.
Both drivers were taken to a local hospital, where Mallet died of her injuries, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Saturday’s crash marked the 15th highway fatality in Beaufort County so far this year, and the fifth on U.S. 278.
So far this year, roadway deaths have occurred at a slower rate than in 2024. By September of last year, officials had reported 19 traffic fatalities.
Click here to view an interactive map of Beaufort County traffic deaths so far this year.
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 12:01 PM.
