Greenville mom, runner was killed by a stolen SUV in hit-and-run, suspect in custody
The SUV that hit and killed a Greenville mother Saturday was stolen, and a suspect is in custody regarding the theft, city officials announced Tuesday.
Police say Brittany Langley Lawson, 38, was running with her dog at about 7:15 a.m. Saturday on a sidewalk beside Augusta Street.
The Buick SUV crossed into oncoming lanes of traffic and jumped the curb, hitting Lawson. When police arrived, the SUV was empty. Lawson and the dog were pronounced dead at the scene.
Lawson was not far from her home on Tomassee Avenue.
The announcement said police are waiting for a forensic report to see if the suspect was the driver.
In addition, the city engineer will meet with someone from the South Carolina Department of Transportation this week to talk about improving safety on Augusta Street, a narrow four-lane road that provides access from that part of town to downtown Greenville.
“Greenville City Manager John McDonough visited the scene of the hit-and-run fatality with Police Chief Howie Thompson and Interim City Engineer Clint Link this morning to learn more about the circumstances and survey the area,” Beth Brotherton, city spokeswoman, said in the news release.
Lawson was the mother of two young children, Harrison and Hampton. Her husband, Scott, is a chiropractor, who has owned a wellness clinic in Greenville for more than a decade. They married in 2016.
A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the children’s college educations. Within two days, it had raised almost $60,000.
Augusta Street is a narrow, four-lane road through miles of commercial developments, single businesses and strip malls, and the primary access route to downtown Greenville. Many of Greenville’s most prosperous or sought-after neighborhoods are located adjacent to both sides of Augusta Street, which is more commonly known in Greenville as Augusta Road.
Early Tuesday morning, Scott Lawson posted a quote on Facebook that ended with “How I wish for you today” and credited E.V. (Eddie Vedder’s song “Long Road”).
He also updated his profile picture to one showing the back of his wife in running clothes, arms raised high above her head as if in victory, looking out at a body of water.
