UPDATE: 3-year-old dies from injuries after being struck crossing Bay Pines Road near Beaufort
This story has been updated to clarify that the child who was struck by the vehicle died at the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital in Charleston, not Beaufort Memorial Hospital.
A 3-year-old boy who was struck by a pickup truck Friday evening northwest of Beaufort died early Saturday from his injuries, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol and Beaufort County Coroner David Ott.
On Saturday evening, Ott identified the boy as Lavar Singleton Jr. Following the 5 p.m. Friday accident, Singleton was initially taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital. He was then airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital in Charleston, where he died at 12:45 a.m. Saturday, Ott said.
The accident remains under investigation, said Lance Cpl. Lena Butler of the Highway Patrol. No one was available Saturday evening to comment on whether the driver would face any charges.
The accident occurred on Bay Pines Road near Laurel Bay Road, the Highway Patrol said. The pickup was traveling east on Bay Pines Road. Ott said the 3-year-old boy was struck trying to cross that road, “to get back to his house to his mom.”
“He had went across the street and then he attempted to go back home,” Ott said.
The official cause and manner of death are pending a Monday autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina, Ott said.
The person driving the pickup was not injured.
