Coroner identifies pedestrian killed on US 17 in Hardeeville Tuesday as 31-year-old mother

The pedestrian killed early Tuesday morning on U.S. 17 in Hardeeville, identified as a 31-year-old mother, was “walking down the middle of the road” when she was hit, Hardeeville Police Department Chief Sam Woodward said.

Latifah Anderson, 31, of Hardeeville, was hit by a car about 5:30 a.m., Jasper County Coroner Willie P. Aiken III wrote on the office’s Facebook page. Anderson, a mother of four, died at the scene, Aiken said.

The crash is believed to be accidental, said Woodward, who added he suspects no criminal intent. Anderson was in the middle of the road and wearing all black when she stepped out in front of the car, Woodward said. The man driving the car that hit Anderson stopped after the collision, Aiken said. The crash remains under investigation by the Hardeeville Police Department, Woodward said.

At least 151 pedestrians were killed in South Carolina in 2021, and approximately 17 people have died in vehicle collisions in Jasper County, according to data from the Department of Public Safety.

An autopsy for Anderson has not been scheduled, but will take place at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Aiken said.