Deadly multi-vehicle crash closes Talmadge Bridge for 10 hours

A Jasper County woman was killed in a five-car crash near the Georgia border early Saturday morning in a wreck that shut down the Talmadge Bridge for about 10 hours.

Three Savannah residents involved in the crash were taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center, one with life-threatening injuries, officials said.

A Savannah man also involved in the wreck has been arrested and charged with felony driving under the influence.

Carlos L. Melendez, 22, of Savannah, was treated at Coastal Carolina Hospital before being taken to the Jasper County Detention Center, where he remained Saturday night. Jail employees said information about the suspect, including a photo and whether he had a criminal record in the county, would not be available until Monday. Melendez was driving a 2003 GMC sport utility vehicle.

Deborah Neidert-Bohl, a Jasper County woman who recently moved to South Carolina from Tennessee, died in the wreck, which occurred at 6:25 Saturday morning on S.C. 17, about a mile north of Georgia border. She was driving a 2006 Chrysler, S.C. Highway Patrol officials said.

Details of the crash have not been released because the incident is still

under investigation, said Lance Cpl. Bob Beres of the Highway Patrol. Everyone involved in the wreck was wearing a seat belt, he said.

Others involved in the crash:

• Anthony Chisholm, age unavailable, of Savannah, was driving a 2000 Ford van. He was treated and released from Memorial, a hospital spokesman said.

• Shonita Elliott, 25, of Savannah, was driving a 2003 Jeep. Her condition was unavailable from Memorial on Saturday night.

• Josh Lee, 29, of Savannah, was driving a 2004 Jeep. His condition also was unavailable from Memorial on Saturday night.

Beres said investigators closed the roads and bridges, including both the Talmadge and Back River bridges, so they could reconstruct the accident scene.

"It was a pretty big deal," he said. "It took a while to put everything together."

He said the road was covered in debris.

"There were car parts ... everywhere," he said.

Traffic was re-routed to S.C. 170, he said.