Marine corporal, 23, is hit and killed by a car after she stopped to help victims from a crash on South Carolina highway
- Erin Rachel Lilleyfogle, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado died Friday after she was hit by a car on U.S. 17 near Jenkins Road in Beaufort County, South Carolina
- Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene
- Lilleyfogle was a non-commissioned officer and leader with the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina
- The fatal crash is still being investigated. No charges have been filed
A marine was killed by an oncoming car on a South Carolina highway Friday night after going out of her way to help someone involved in a previous auto accident.
Marine Corporal Erin Rachel Lilleyfogle, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado spotted a crash victim on U.S. 17 near Jenkins Road in northern Beaufort County around 7.30pm, and pulled her own vehicle over to assist.
Moments later, a 1998 Ford Taurus traveling south on the highway with three people inside struck her.
She was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency responders arrived.
‘[She] had stepped out of her vehicle and was walking toward the other collision but was struck before getting there,’ South Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson Lance Cpl. Matt Southern told the Island Packet.
Erin Rachel Lilleyfogle, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado died Friday after she was hit by a car on U.S. 17 near Jenkins Road in Beaufort County, South Carolina
Lilleyfogle was a decorated operative who was previously awarded the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Lilleyfogle was a non-commissioned officer who led the headquarters and Service Battalion’s administrative section of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina , according to Capt. Bryan McDonnell, director of Communication Strategy and Operations at the outpost.
‘She was vital to daily operations, made a major impact during Hurricane Dorian as part of Task Force Albany, and was the caretaker of the Depot Mascot, Opha May,’ McDonnell told Island Packet.
Lilleyfogle was a decorated operative who was previously awarded the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
‘She was in the process of being awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for her numerous contributions to the Depot, which will be awarded posthumously,’ McDonnell said in a written statement, adding that the depot is truly saddened by the 23-year-old’s untimely demise.
None of the passengers in the vehicle that struck Lilleyfogle were injured, according to the broadsheet newspaper.
The lethal accident is still being investigated. No charges have been filed as of yet.