Beaufort pedestrian killed in New Year’s Day hit-and-run, driver unknown, officials say

A Beaufort man was killed in a hit-and-run crash in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, according to officials from the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.

Bruce Singleton, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Beaufort County Coroner David Ott.

Singleton was hit by a vehicle traveling westbound on Broad River Boulevard, about one mile west of Beaufort city limits, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the Highway Patrol. The vehicle struck Singleton as he was walking in the roadway.

Authorities have not identified the vehicle or the driver.

Bolt said the collision is being investigated as a hit-and-run, with assistance from the Highway Patrol’s Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT), which uses lasers, drones and other technology to reconstruct “complicated vehicle crashes.”

Investigators do not yet know if the incident was alcohol-related, Bolt said.

An autopsy for Singleton will be performed sometime this week, according to Ott.

Singleton was the second pedestrian killed in a traffic collision in Beaufort County this weekend. Robert McCoy, 59, of Beaufort was pronounced dead after a crash on the 3100 block of Trask Parkway early Saturday morning, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette.

Both incidents are still under investigation.