Beaufort officer, child released from hospital after police SUV rolls over

A Beaufort Police Department vehicle flipped over during a crash in the Shell Point area on Thursday morning.

The wreck involved a second vehicle and happened about 7:45 a.m. at Baynard Road and Savannah Highway.

A Beaufort Police Department SUV flipped in the crash, said Brittney Emerson, who saw the wreck.

Officer Coley Hebrard and an "authorized" child passenger were involved in the crash, Beaufort Police Sgt. Hope Able said. Both were treated at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and released, she said.

The police car was driving east on Savannah Highway when a car stopped at Baynard Road didn't yield right of way and turned right, S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Matt Southern said. The car hit Hebrard's SUV on the right rear passenger side, causing it to flip, Southern said.

The condition of a third person taken to the hospital was not immediately known.

Traffic headed toward Port Royal was rerouted. Beaufort County Sheriff's Office reported just before 9 a.m. that the blocked lanes had been cleared.

Numerous people nearby rushed to help after the crash, Emerson said, including off-duty first responders. One man pulled apart a real estate sign and tried to use one of the wood beams to help free the passengers, she said.

"There was this moment of stillness right after it flipped, then everyone erupted into motion," she said. "... Faith in humanity restored this morning."

Firefighters from Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department and Burton Fire District, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, Beaufort and Port Royal police, and Beaufort County paramedics all responded to the wreck.

Reporter Joan McDonough contributed to this report.

This story was originally published May 17, 2018 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Beaufort officer, child released from hospital after police SUV rolls over."