SC woman killed when car crashes into mailbox, post and tree, officials say
A woman was killed over the weekend when the car she was driving crashed into multiple objects, according to South Carolina officials.
Marisela Gaither, a 48-year-old Winnsboro resident, died in the late Saturday night wreck, Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece said.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 11:10 p.m., according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Gaither was driving a 2022 Honda sedan east on Saint Philips Church Road, Bolt said. Near the intersection with S.C. 219 the Honda ran off the right side of the road and hit a mailbox, according to Bolt.
The car then swerved back across Saint Philips Church Road and off the left side, where it crashed into a wooden post before hitting an embankment and then smashing into a tree, Bolt said.
Gaither, who was the only person in the car, was killed, according to Bolt.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Gaither was wearing a seat belt.
Information about what originally caused the Honda to veer off the road was not available, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office. An autopsy will be performed this week, Kneece said.
Through Sunday, 465 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least five people have died in Newberry County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were eight deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 8:17 AM with the headline "SC woman killed when car crashes into mailbox, post and tree, officials say."
