PICKENS COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA — With profound sorrow, family, friends, and community members are mourning the loss of Barbara Dean Walls, 64, of Easley, who died Friday morning following a head-on collision on Highway 183.

According to the Pickens County Coroner’s Office, Barbara was identified as the woman who died in the crash. Her death was ruled accidental.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol reported that the collision happened shortly before 9 a.m. Investigators said a car traveling south crossed the center line and collided head-on with an SUV. Barbara suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the SUV survived the crash but was seriously injured. That driver was transported by helicopter to a hospital for medical treatment. The circumstances surrounding the collision remain under investigation.

What began as an ordinary Friday morning became an unimaginable tragedy for everyone touched by Barbara’s life. Behind the details of the crash is the loss of a person who mattered deeply to her family, friends, and all who knew her.