Speeding teen damages plantation's landscaping

Some residents of Hilton Head Plantation awoke Friday to the sound of a car wreck that looked more severe than it was, neighborhood officials said Tuesday.

A 17-year-old guest of a Hilton Head Plantation resident was driving home from Seabrook Landing just after 6 a.m. and was going too fast for the winding road, officials said. He dozed off and hit a stop sign before over-correcting and driving through two yards, taking down a utility box, bushes and small trees, said security director Art Benoit.

The sport utility vehicle stopped after a few hundred feet when it hit the porch of a house at the corner of Seabrook Drive and Christo Drive.

"When we first arrived at the scene and looked at it, we said, 'Oh my God.' But fortunately it looked worse than it turned out," Benoit said.

The driver was taken to Hilton Head Hospital with minor scrapes and bruises, Benoit said. He was wearing his seat belt and was fully insured, which should cover damage to residents' landscaping.

He was cited for driving too fast for conditions by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, Benoit said.