Anderson,SC : Man with previous DUI charged in hit-and-run killing elderly Upstate man on September, Monday 4th 2017

The SC Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal hit and run that occurred in Anderson County Monday afternoon.

Troopers say the collision occurred on Flat Rock Road at Bluefield Road. Officials say a pedestrian was crossing Flat Rock Road when a car traveling south on Flat Rock Road struck the pedestrian. The car then left the scene, troopers said.

Troopers say the victim was transported by EMS to Anderson Medical Center where the victim later succumbed to injuries sustained in the collision. He was later identified as 73-year-old George Eugene Williams of Iva.

The coroner said Williams passed away in the emergency room at 2:15 p.m. His death was ruled a homicide.

Brandi Williams, the victim's granddaughter, described him as a hardworking man.

"He worked all his life," she said. "He loved us, he loved his family a lot."

Williams said her grandfather had gotten out of his truck when it broke down on Flat Rock Road. While he was walking to a nearby gas station, he was struck and the driver fled the scene.

"It's hard to understand what happened and why somebody could do something like that," Brandi Williams said. 'He'd give you the shirt off his back and want nothing in return."

The collision remains under investigation by the SC Highway Patrol MAIT Team.

On Wednesday, troopers confirmed 48-year-old Joe Frank Gibert was charged in connection with the crash. Gibert was driving a 1996 Mercury Sable when he fled the scene after hitting Williams, according to troopers.

Gibert, whose license was suspended for a previous DUI, is charged with hit and run with death, habitual traffic offender, and driving under suspension, according to online jail records.



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Man with previous DUI charged in hit-and-run killing elderly Upstate man