Man killed in May River Road crash ID’d as Bluffton real estate agent

A 34-year-old Bluffton real estate agent has been identified as the person who was killed in Friday’s three-vehicle crash on May River Road.

Cullen Mieczkowski, identified by Debbie Youmans of the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office, was killed in the wreck around 5 p.m. near the Rose Dhu neighborhood, according to Bluffton Police Department Maj. Joseph Manning.

Mieczkowski died at the scene, Youmans said.

The unidentified driver of another vehicle was taken to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah on Friday. By Sunday, police had no update on the injured driver’s condition, Manning said. More information is expected to be released on Monday, he said.

The third driver, Nikolai K. Wheeler, 27, of Bluffton, was charged with two felony DUIs: one resulting in death and the other resulting in great bodily injury. Wheeler also was charged with hit-and-run resulting in death, leaving the scene of a collision resulting in great bodily injury, and driving under a suspended license.

Manning said on Saturday that witnesses reported Wheeler was driving erratically. “Once they collided, he continued down the road and then crashed his vehicle, where he got on foot and fled,” Manning said.

Mieczkowski was a sales consultant with K. Hovnanian Homes, according to his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Tanner Sutphin of Hilton Head Island said he had been friends with Mieczkowski for three years, coming together as two young Realtors in the area. Sutphin said his friend had a close relationship with his parents.

“Cullen was a great friend that made you feel better about yourself every time you were with him,” Sutphin said. “He was the definition of a young professional and never met anyone that he could not strike up a conversation with.”

A GoFundMe account was set up to help with funeral expenses. For more information, visit gofundme.com/memorial-fund-cullen-mieczkowski.

This story was originally published April 16, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Man killed in May River Road crash ID’d as Bluffton real estate agent."