Lexington County woman killed in head-on crash, coroner says

A West Columbia woman was killed in a head-on crash that left another person hospitalized, the Lexington County Coroner’s Office said Sunday.

Jessica Ann Shiltz, 38, died at the scene of the Friday night accident, Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 11 p.m., in the 800 block of Alexander Road, according to the release. That’s in Cayce, about half a mile from the Blossom Street bridge and downtown Columbia.

Shiltz was driving east on Alexander Road when she crossed the center line in a curve and hit an oncoming vehicle, Fisher said.

The driver of the other vehicle was taken to an area hospital, according to the release. Further information on that driver’s condition was not available.

Shiltz was not wearing a seat belt, Fisher said. There was no word if the driver of the other vehicle wore a seat belt.

Information about what caused Shiltz’s vehicle to veer into oncoming traffic was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Cayce Police Department.

More than 841 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 34 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2022, DPS reported. Last year, 57 deaths were reported there, according to DPS data.