MARLBORO COUNTY, SC — A Marlboro County mother has finally learned that South Carolina transportation officials did conduct a safety review at the intersection where her daughter and unborn granddaughter were killed. The finding came nearly four years after the deadly crash that changed Candice Munnerlyn’s family forever.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation now says its local office examined the intersection in January 2023, about two months after the November 2022 crash. The agency is also checking maintenance records to see whether any of the recommended improvements were actually completed.
Munnerlyn has spent years pressing for changes at Hebron Dunbar Road and Dunbar Road near Clio. She says she wanted answers not just about what happened after the crash, but whether anything was done to make the road safer for other drivers.
A mother's first return to the crash site brings back the loss
Munnerlyn recently went back to the roadway for the first time since losing her 20-year-old daughter, Curniyal Jackson, and Jackson’s unborn daughter, Kali. She said every part of the visit reopened painful memories tied to the intersection.
She described the trip as emotionally overwhelming, but said her sister helped by driving and staying with her. Munnerlyn said the grief has not faded with time and still feels immediate whenever she returns to places connected to the crash.
Jackson’s aunt, Sierra Dease, also reflected on the loss and remembered the last time her niece tried to reach her. That reminder underscored how suddenly the family’s lives changed on the morning of the fatal crash.
Community concerns about Hebron Dunbar Road began in 2022
ABC 15 first reported Munnerlyn’s concerns about traffic safety along Hebron Dunbar Road in December 2022. At that time, preliminary state data showed 42 crashes and 22 injuries over a five-year period on the roadway.
Munnerlyn said the amount of traffic on the road made stronger safety measures necessary. She believed drivers needed more help slowing down and navigating the intersection before another deadly wreck could happen.
Her message was direct: she wanted the road fixed so no other family would have to endure the same pain. That complaint set off a broader look at whether the intersection had enough warning signs and traffic controls for the conditions drivers faced.
State officials say an assessment was done in January 2023
After the 2022 reporting, SCDOT said it would schedule a safety assessment and review five years of crash reports to decide whether improvements were needed. Munnerlyn said she and her family did not know whether that review had happened, or what it showed, until the latest inquiry brought answers.
The transportation department confirmed that its local office completed an assessment in January 2023. Officials said they did not have direct contact with Munnerlyn at the time because they did not have her contact information.
In its response, SCDOT said the traffic controls were generally adequate based on the information available then. Still, officials said the review pointed to possible improvements in pavement markings and signs that could help drivers better see and understand the intersection.
Maintenance records are now being checked for any completed fixes
SCDOT says it is now reviewing maintenance records to determine whether the suggested pavement markings and signs were ever installed. If they were not, the department says it will take action to address the gap.
The agency also said that, based on the latest inquiry, the local office will review the area again and make any necessary improvements. That means the intersection is back under review years after the crash first drew attention to it.
At this point, transportation officials have not said whether the recommended work was completed. The unanswered question is central to Munnerlyn’s push for accountability and safer conditions at the road where her family’s lives were shattered.
The family wants more than signs and paint on the pavement
Munnerlyn says the safety changes she wants should go beyond markings and signs. She wants SCDOT to consider adding flashing caution lights or even building a roundabout to slow traffic and make the crossing safer.
Her concern is rooted in more than one crash. She said other people have also been killed on the road, and she fears another family could soon face the same loss if the intersection stays largely unchanged.
SCDOT said the district engineer is willing to meet with Munnerlyn and her family to talk about possible improvements. For Munnerlyn, those discussions matter only if they lead to real changes at the site where her daughter and unborn granddaughter died.
