Woman run over, killed in driveway

A former Gaffney resident was killed Thursday afternoon when she was accidentally run over in her driveway while helping her 13-year-old son move a family vehicle.

Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said Paula Phillips, 42, of 229 East Pine Log Road, suffered multiple body trauma when the family's sport utility vehicle suddenly moved forward and hit the mother of two.

Phillips was pronounced dead at her home at 4:15 p.m., Carlton said in a news release.

Her husband, Scott, recently moved to Aiken from Gaffney several months ago.

Witnesses said Phillips was giving the couple's 13-yearold son driving directions on how to move the vehicle so he could play basketball in the driveway with his friends after school.

The son accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake, according to the news release. This caused the sport utility vehicle to surge forward into Phillips and pushed her under the vehicle.

The vehicle went past the carport and into the back yard.

No charges will be filed against the teenager. The accident is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Aiken County Sheriff's Office and the Aiken County Coroner's Office.

"There is no evidence of malicious intent, rather Mrs. Phillips appears to be the victim of a tragic event," Carlton said in the news release.

The couple's oldest son, Derek, is a 2007 Gaffney High graduate. He was selected as a student correspondent for the 2006 Shrine Bowl all-star game and ran a Gaffney Indians sports Web site with his father.