School mourns two former Bluffton High students killed in Bluffton Parkway crash

Two former Bluffton High School students were killed Monday night in a single-car crash on Bluffton Parkway near Pinecrest Drive.

Noah Fedele, 17, and Samuel Martin Bougus, 19, were named as the victims in the crash, according to Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen.

Fedele, the driver, and Bougus, the passenger, both were pronounced dead at the scene, Allen said. Fedele and Bougus were the only occupants of the white Range Rover involved, police department spokesperson Joy Nelson said.

The vehicle was traveling in the westbound lanes of Bluffton Parkway about 10:30 p.m. It flipped over after Fedele lost control and struck several trees in the median, Nelson said. She said police were notified about the accident by a nearby resident who heard the crash.

The police department’s collision reconstruction unit is investigating whether speed was a factor in the accident, Nelson said.

Fedele transferred from Bluffton High in November of last year, and Bougus graduated from the school last year, Jim Foster, spokesman for the Beaufort County School District, said on Tuesday. Foster said he did not know where Fedele was enrolled in school.

Additional counselors have been called to the school for students and staff who want to talk, Foster said.

“Bobcat Nation is greatly saddened today by the loss of two former students,” principal Denise Garison of Bluffton High wrote in a statement on Tuesday. “Noah and Sam were well-known to many of our students and staff, and our heart-felt thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends.”

The parkway was shut down in both directions as the vehicle was removed, Nelson said.

The westbound lanes of the parkway were reopened around 2:15 a.m. The eastbound lanes remained closed when a sinkhole was discovered by an officer during the crash investigation, Nelson said.

The eastbound lanes reopened Tuesday morning.

Three separate GoFundMe pages have been created to support the Fedele and Bougus families with funeral expenses.

A GoFundMe page for Bougus had raised $100 of its $10,000 goal as of 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

A GoFundMe page to assist Fedele’s family had raised $240 of its $10,000 goal by the same time on Tuesday.

An additional GoFundMe page was set up to support both the Fedele and Bougus families. As of 4 p.m., the page had raised $540 of its $5,000 goal.

This story was originally published May 16, 2017 at 6:48 AM with the headline "School mourns two former Bluffton High students killed in Bluffton Parkway crash."