Woman killed in crash that caused traffic jam on busy SC road is identified by coroner
A deadly crash caused a traffic jam on a busy South Carolina road Tuesday afternoon, according to the Lexington Police Department.
Just before noon, police reported there was a crash in the 5100 block of U.S. 378/Sunset Boulevard. That’s in front of the Lexington Pavilion shopping center, which includes box stores Target and Best Buy.
About 20 minutes later, police confirmed it was a fatal collision.
Margie Hayden Cook, a 70-year-old Pelion resident, is the driver who died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called a two-vehicle accident.
Cook was pulling out of a parking lot when she was hit by a vehicle driving west on Sunset Boulevard, Fisher said. Cook, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene, according to Fisher.
The driver of the other vehicle was taken to an area hospital with what Fisher called “non-life-threatening injuries.” Further information on the surviving driver’s condition was not available.
There was no word if the surviving driver was wearing a seat belt.
No other injuries were reported.
Following the wreck, a detour was set up using Corley Mill Road while Sunset Boulevard was temporarily blocked, police said.
At about 1:05 p.m., police said all lanes of Sunset Boulevard had been reopened.
The crash continues to be investigated by police and the coroner’s office.
Through Sunday, 158 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least seven people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 50 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Woman killed in crash that caused traffic jam on busy SC road is identified by coroner."
