70-year-old eating at Wendy’s killed when driver rams through wall, SC officials say

A 70-year-old woman eating inside a Wendy’s was killed when a driver crashed through the wall of the restaurant, according to South Carolina officials.

Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the fast food franchise off of a highway in Bishopville just after 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 22, Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon told McClatchy News.

A vehicle was found inside of the establishment and several people had been struck, he said.

Investigators found that the driver of the vehicle, a 2009 Ford, had been trying to park when the vehicle struck the building, Lance Corporal Tyler Tidwell of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said in a recorded statement.

Six people inside the building were hit and were taken to hospitals, and one later died of her injuries, he said.

The woman was identified as Janie Kirkland, Lee County Coroner Larry Logan told McClatchy News. She had been eating inside the restaurant with her husband, who had stepped away momentarily when the vehicle crashed into the building, WISTV reported.

Members of a church where Kirkland was involved posted on Facebook that they would miss her.

“Mrs. Janie Kirkland, we love you, and we will miss you,” wrote Rick-Kelly White Sellers. “We appreciate all your hard work at Lighthouse Ministries.”

The Wendy’s is located inside a Pilot convenience store, WISTV reported. The company said in a statement to the outlet that “our hearts go out to all those affected, including our valued team members and guests, by 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 local authorities and emergency responders, and are cooperating with them to investigate the incident.”

The crash remains under investigation, according to state troopers. Bishopville is about 50 miles northeast of Columbia.

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