Sons receive car after Saluda County crash kills mom
SALUDA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A South Carolina family was given a car after a fatal crash killed their mom and took their only vehicle.
A fatal crash didn’t just take a mother, a sister, a singer, and a newly-ordained reverend when Sheila Ann Gartmon died from her injuries last month. It also took the sole provider for her two sons, Walter and Sheldon, and their only mode of transportation.
On Tuesday, the South Carolina Highway Patrol Victim Services Unit presented a 2017 Honda Accord to Walter, one of Gartmon’s sons.
The vehicle was provided by Schroeder’s Towing, with additional expenses covered by the South Carolina Troopers Association.
“Honestly, it feels like Mama’s in heaven making plays,” said Walter. “She’s quarterbacking right now.”
Gartmon died on July 8, less than two weeks after a vehicle drove into her lane and struck her Nissan Sentra’s front end on U.S. 178 near Sardis Road.
“Before she ed, she prepared me for a lot of things,” said Walter. “The biggest thing was something like transportation. The fact that I’m able to get a car right now is so much of a blessing.”
After hearing of their needs, the South Carolina Troopers Association worked with community partners to fix a vehicle to gift to them, according to Mark Gosnell, executive director for the South Carolina Troopers Association.
The South Carolina Troopers Association paid for the property taxes, title, and first month of insurance for the vehicle, while Steve Padgett’s Honda of Lake Murray made the necessary repairs to the car.
Anytime you have fatalities is a tragedy,” said Gosnell, who also is a retired state trooper. “But when you’re dealing with a 22-year-old and a 38-year-old he’s a caregiver for, we just wanted to have one thing to assist that family in transportation. Without any other family , this was very important for them to go back and forth to doctor’s appointments and employment.”
Walter said the car will help them get to and from Sheldon’s doctor appointments, but will also allow them to go out and have fun together.
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