3 killed and 3 deputies injured in series of overnight highway crashes, SC cops say
A series of overnight crashes on a South Carolina highway left three people dead and three deputies injured, according to authorities.
The twocrashes began before 11 p.m. on Sunday, May 8 when Charleston County Sheriff’s deputy Emily Pelletier was driving along Savannah Highway, according to the sheriff’s office news release.
Pelletier was on the way to meet a fellow deputy whose vehicle was disabled, according to the release. While en route, Pelletier’s vehicle collided with a sedan going southbound on the highway near New Road.
Three people in the sedan were trapped inside and died at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. Pelletier was pulled from the patrol vehicle and taken to the Medical University of South Carolina with non-life-threatening injuries, the release said.
The second crash occurred when the highway was shut down as responders — including two deputies — worked the first accident, the release said.
The two Charleston County Sheriff’s deputies were in a patrol cruiser and turning traffic around about a half-mile north of the first crash when a sedan hit them about 2:30 a.m. on May 9, according to the release.
The two deputies, Jonathan Rand and Joy DeSomber, were pulled from the patrol vehicle and taken to the MUSC, according to the release.
The driver of the sedan had non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
Pelletier and DeSomber were released from the hospital as of May 9, according to the release. Rand is still hospitalized in stable condition.
Pelletier was placed on administrative leave due to the collision with the first vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating both crashes.
This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 6:04 PM with the headline "3 killed and 3 deputies injured in series of overnight highway crashes, SC cops say."
