City of Pickens // Courtesy
Pickens County has seen three different motor vehicle fatalities in the last two weeks.
In the last two weeks, Pickens County has seen three motor vehicle fatalities.
On Aug. 21, the Pickens County Coroner’s Office responded to a fatal single-vehicle collision with a tree near 2140 Moorefield Memorial Highway. The PCCO identified the deceased as Tammy Masters Kay, 56, of Easley.
Aug. 25 saw a motor vehicle collision involving an SUV and an extended cab pickup truck on Old Seneca Road and Issaquenna Lake Road. The individual in the pickup truck — Melody Willimon, 37 — was transported to the hospital and later pronounced dead.
Finally, Robert Brett Bates, 58, was pronounced dead in Easley on Aug. 28 after Bates’ vehicle went off Highway 123 and struck various trees.
In 2024, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety reported 738 total traffic fatalities, 12 of them occurring in Pickens County.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety issued a Highway Safety Grant Program for the federal fiscal year 2024-2026.
“Efforts to reduce collisions and fatalities were identified as the top priorities for project development efforts,” the program states. The department is also focused on “attacking the DUI problem in the state.”
To prevent collisions on campus, the Clemson University Police Department analyzed some key contributing factors as to why collisions occur. This includes “failure to yield right of way, failure to exercise due care, disregarding traffic control devices and improper pedestrian crossing, according to CUPD’s Annual Report for 2024.
CUPD directs its patrol staff in different directions to ensure safety on campus.
“One directed patrol focused exclusively on violations of traffic control devices, while two more addressed speeding and driving too fast for conditions, both key contributors to campus collisions,” according to the report.
Clemson University’s Driver Safety Guidelines outline that drivers should not eat or operate an electronic device while driving, and should understand the operation of state vehicles.
South Carolina has seen a decrease in traffic fatalities in 2025 compared to 2024. So far, the Highway Patrol “has seen 503 fatal car crashes, compared to 609 at this time last year,” according to News 19.
Lance Corporal Brittany Glover with the South Carolina Highway Patrol told News 19 that they “have increased (their) patrols on the interstate, making sure everybody gets to their destination safe.”