Georgia woman, 25, killed in Oconee County 1-car crash

A 25-year-old Georgia woman died after being involved in a one-vehicle accident early Monday morning.

Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis confirmed Monday that Nicole Kristy Hartney was pronounced dead at the scene of an early morning accident on U.S. 76.

Hartney was traveling east on 76 in her 2000 Jeep Cherokee at roughly 2:30 a.m. when she lost control of the vehicle. The jeep went off the right side of the road, back onto the roadway, and overturned several times off the left side of the highway before coming to a stop there, Cpl. Bryan McDougald of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.

The posted speed limit on that stretch of highway is 45 miles per hour, but the role of speed in the crash is being investigated, McDougald added.

Hartney, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover, and died at the scene from chest and head trauma prior to EMS arrival, Addis said.

A passerby saw the accident and reported it.

Hartney’s hometown was Alpharetta, Ga., and she graduated from the University of Alabama in 2006 with a degree in communications, according to an online social networking Web site.

No autopsy is scheduled for Hartney, but in accordance with state law, specimens for toxicology analysis will be sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement, Addis said.


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