12-year-old girl dies after SUV backed into her in a church parking lot, just hours after she attended a funeral
Kantori Chestnut died in the hospital following the incident in the parking lot of a Baptist church in South Carolina
NEED TO KNOW
- A girl, 12, was fatally struck by an SUV in a South Carolina church parking lot on Sept. 16
- The incident occurred hours after Kantori Chestnut attended a funeral at Cedar Branch Missionary Baptist Church
- The collision, which also injured two others, is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP)
A 12-year-old girl was killed by an SUV in a church parking lot in South Carolina, just hours after she attended a funeral.
At around 9:53 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Sept. 16, emergency services responded to reports of a vehicle striking a building and multiple people on Cedar Branch Road in Loris, the Horry County Fire Rescue said in a post shared on Facebook.
One of three injured people transported to the hospital was in a critical condition.
Kantori Chestnut later died at the hospital from her injuries, local outlets WMBF and Myrtle Beach Sun News reported, citing Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.
Chestnut, 12, had attended a funeral at Cedar Branch Missionary Baptist Church hours before she was struck in the parking lot, according to the outlets.
It is not clear who the funeral was for or what Chestnut’s connection to the deceased was.
The incident occurred when a 2026 Nissan Rogue backed onto the church’s property, Myrtle Beach Sun News and ABC 15 reported, citing South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP).
The driver struck Chestnut and hit part of the church, the outlet said. They and the other person injured in the incident have not been identified publicly at this time.
It is currently unclear if the driver of the SUV is facing any charges.
The fatal collision is being investigated by the SCHP.
Representatives for the Horry County Coroner’s Office and the Cedar Branch Missionary Baptist Church did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, Sept. 19.
