News Summary
A dramatic high-speed chase in Beaufort involving a motorcycle and a Dodge Charger resulted in a crash early Sunday morning. The race, which reached speeds over 130 mph, began when a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper attempted to stop the vehicles. After a pursuit lasting nearly 10 miles, the Charger flipped over at Barnwell Bluff. Both occupants were extricated and transported to a hospital, with the driver facing charges for racing and failure to stop. The passenger suffered serious injuries, while the motorcycle remains at large.
Beaufort witnessed a high-speed street race and police pursuit early Sunday morning, which ended in a dramatic crash.
The incident occurred around 12:35 a.m. when a trooper from the South Carolina Highway Patrol spotted a motorcycle and a Dodge Charger racing near the Broad River Bridge, reaching speeds over 130 mph.
- The Dodge Charger failed to stop for the trooper’s blue lights and turned onto Savannah Highway (S.C. 170).
- Backup was requested, but deputies were instructed not to engage due to the high speeds.
- At Trask Parkway and Parris Island Gateway, a PIT maneuver was attempted but unsuccessful.
- The chase lasted nearly 10 miles before the Charger lost control before the Bellamy Curve.
- The vehicle overturned in the dry marsh at Barnwell Bluff.
Both occupants claimed to be okay, despite being trapped inside the overturned car. Emergency crews from the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department extricated them.
- The driver, a 21-year-old woman from Bluffton, was arrested after being discharged from Beaufort Memorial Hospital.
- She faces charges for failure to stop for blue lights and racing on a public road, both misdemeanors.
- She was released around 5 a.m. on personal recognizance bonds totaling $7,500.
The passenger suffered a small puncture wound to his lung and a fracture to his left eye socket and was later transported to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
In a police interview, the passenger revealed he was asleep during the chase and awoke as the driver panicked upon encountering law enforcement.
As of Monday afternoon, it remains unclear whether the motorcycle involved in the street race has been apprehended by authorities.
Boundary and Carteret streets near the crash site were closed for approximately 90 minutes as first responders managed the scene.
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Additional Resources
- Island Packet: High-Speed Street Race Leads to Dramatic Crash
- Wikipedia: Automobile Safety
- Go Redbirds: Women’s Basketball Ballin’ on Beaufort
- Google Search: Street Racing Incidents
- WHAS11: Men Charged in Fatal Crash
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Traffic Accident
- Your Island News: Celebrate July 4th Events
- Google News: Traffic Accidents
- Island Packet: Local Election News
- Google Scholar: Traffic Safety
- The State: Local News Updates
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