Young mother hit and killed while walking to work; Beaufort family, fiancé still seeking answers months later

BEAUFORT COUNTY, SC. (WTOC) - A 30-year-old mother was hit and killed while walking to work in the Grays Hill area back in November.

Brittnay Sanders was struck by a car on the morning of November 7th, 2025. Troopers confirmed the driver stayed at the scene, but no charges are being brought against her at this point.

Since the crash, no one has been arrested, and Brittnay’s family says they haven’t heard anything either.

Brittnay’s mother says she has been waiting for answers-- answers her granddaughter deserves now 3 months later.

Regardless of whether Brittnay was walking in the road or not, her mother says she wants to know what exactly happened that November morning and hopes someone will be held accountable at minimum for their role.

Clarendon Road in Beaufort looks different now to Brittnay’s family. Her mother says it serves as a constant reminder that her daughter is gone.

Olivia Nicole Woods said she first learned her daughter Brittnay had been hit early that Friday morning.

“It was Friday morning, November 7th. It happened around 6:15. I got the phone call about 7, and her mother-in-law told me that she was sorry that Brittnay had been hit by a car — and that it didn’t look good,” Woods said.

Woods said Brittnay was medevacked because the initial hospital did not have the equipment to treat her injuries.

“A team of doctors sat in front of me and told me that she was internally decapitated, and that she was gone, and that there was a zero chance of survival,” she said.

Brittnay’s mom shared, “I had Brittany when I was 16. And we grew up together. She was more of a friend. She saved me. She saved me so many times. And I feel like I let her down.”

She added, “I can’t get answers. For my seven-year-old grandbaby who wants to know why. And how.”

Brittnay’s mother, fiancé, and daughter say they still do not know any details of what happened.

Woods said, “What happened? That you hit her so hard, you internally decapitated her. You killed her before she even hit the ground. And nothing has been said. Nothing??”

As of now, no one has been charged with Brittnay’s death. Her mother acknowledges Brittnay could have been in the roadway, but wonders how the driver did not see her and why no charges are being brought at all- whether that be speeding, distracted driving, anything that contributed she said.

“Was she in the road? Was… I mean, did she trip? Did this lady run off the road? Was she on her phone? What happened?” Woods asked. “How do you not see someone if you are paying attention?”

A memorial now stands at the spot where Brittnay was killed. Her fiancé visited the site while WTOC crews were there this weekend. He remains heartbroken as a single father, without the love of his life now.

David Johnson, Brittnay’s fiancé and partner of 16 years, said, “She was an amazing mom, the best mom, in my opinion. And I just wish we could have her back.”

He added, “Just not having her here with us every day, it’s just, it’s been a lot. It’s been a lot waking up without the mornings with her.”

Woods says Brittnay wanted to be an organ donor so she could help others.

“She said she wanted to be an organ donor because she could save other people, and that she would continue to live on,” her mom said. “Whoever gets her heart... has an amazing one, my grandaughter knows that too.”

Woods says Brittnay’s seven-year-old daughter continues to struggle without her mother.

“When her 7-year-old daughter says, ‘Mimi, how?’ I don’t know, baby. I can’t tell you that,” she said.

Woods says she feels unable to heal without answers.

“She just wasn’t a 30-year-old girl who was hit and killed. She was my daughter. She was Sarah’s mother,” Woods said.

She added, “If I quit saying her name, she’s going to be gone forever. So I will say her name every day.”

For Brittnay’s family, having no answers has been worse than knowing the truth. Her mother continues to push for closure in her daughter’s death.

An open records request has been filed with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, and reports from the crash are pending.

We will provide updates as those records come back.