A 70-year-old woman eating at a Wendy’s was killed when a driver crashed into the wall of the restaurant, officials in South Carolina said.
Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fast food franchise off the highway in Bishopville just after 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 22, Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon told McClatchy News.
A car was found inside the facility and several people were hit, he said.
Investigators found the driver of the vehicle, a 2009 Ford, was attempting to park when the vehicle struck the building, South Carolina Highway Patrol Senior Corporal Tyler Tidwell said in a recorded statement.
Six people in the building were injured and taken to hospital, and one later died from her injuries, he said.
The woman has been identified as Jenny Kirkland, Lee County Coroner Larry Logan told McClatchy News. She had ate in a restaurant with her husband, who was momentarily gone when the car crashed into the building, WISTV reported.
Members of the church Kirkland attended posted on Facebook that they will miss her.
“Mrs. Jenny Kirkland, we love you and will miss you,” wrote Rick-Kelly White Sellers. “We appreciate your hard work at Lighthouse Ministries.”
Wendy’s is located in the Pilot store, WISTV reports. The company said in a statement that “our hearts go out to all those affected, including our valued team members and guests, as a result of the incident that occurred at our Pilot Travel Center.”
“We are providing our team members with resources to support them through this difficult event,” the company told WISTV. “We appreciate the quick response of the local authorities and emergency services and are cooperating with them in their investigation of the incident.”
According to the police, the accident is under investigation. Bishopville is about 50 miles northeast of Columbia.