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Friends of 35-year-old Brett Maynard are still coming to terms with his death, one they say came way too soon.

"One of the kindest guys you ever met, really passionate about everything, he loved food fishing, his wife just a genuinely nice guy," said Aaron Lemieux, a friend of Brett Maynard.

”Very positive and he was just a great guy we're still in shock he and he will definitely be missed," said Daren Wolfe his friend.

Maynard died early Sunday morning after he and his wife were hit head on by a vehicle going in the wrong direction on the James Island Connector. Police charged 27-year-old Amy McCormick with two counts of felony DUI and one count of child endangerment. Reports say she had her infant child in the car as well, the child is fine. Jill Mayard, Brett’s wife is in good condition at MUSC.

"It's a huge loss around the restaurant. Everyone is just distraught. Everyone hoped yesterday was just a dream and no one wanted to believe it,” Lemieux said.

Maynard’s death highlighting the issue of DUI and traffic fatalities on South Carolina roadways. The highway patrol says there have been 826 fatalities through Sunday, that's down 153 from this time last year. Officials say more than 40 percent of those are alcohol related.

"We're encouraged by that and we're certainly glad to see the numbers go down but we're by no means satisfied by the results - one fatality in the state is too many," said Cpl. Paul Brouthers of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Troopers say safety lies with the drivers; they're hoping tragedies like Brett Maynard's will end along with 2008.

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