Final moments leading to fatal crash on Beaufort County bridge detailed in new report
When Cpl. Michael Bizzoco of the Port Royal Police Department looked out into the Beaufort River from the J. E. McTeer Bridge on Sept. 19, the water was littered with items.
Children’s sneakers, toys, juice boxes.
His memory of that tragic sight is part of a newly released report from the department that paints a clearer picture of what led to the crash and what happened after. But it is still unclear what caused the collision that killed four members of a family.
What is clear from police reports: A Dodge Caravan carrying a family of five tumbled off the bridge connecting Port Royal and Lady’s Island after three vehicles crashed in the late morning, resulting in the death of a pregnant woman and her three sons.
Tikia Lashay Doe, 36, Jashawn Hawkins, 16, Alonzo Houston, 6, and Cameron Perry, 3, were pronounced dead at the scene, the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office said. The driver, who was identified in the police report as the father, survived the plunge and was rescued from the water.
Before the crash
A 19-year-old male driving by himself in a gold Chevrolet Malibu and two people in a gray Ford F-150 were involved in the crash, the Port Royal report says.
The Malibu had heavy damage in the front, including a detached bumper and broken quarter panel. The 19-year-old was driving on a beginner’s permit.
He told a Port Royal police officer he didn’t know what happened, except that right before the crash he swerved from the right lane to the left and got behind the Ford F-150.
A witness, who was driving a few cars behind the Chevrolet, told another officer she saw the Chevrolet weaving in and out of traffic before getting on the bridge. She told police she saw the Chevrolet speed up and again begin switching lanes.
The witness said she did not see the actual crash until the Dodge Caravan was flipped over the bridge.
A Port Royal police officer, along with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a field sobriety test on the 19-year-old, and he was determined to have not been under the influence, the report states.
No charges have been filed in this case, and it remains under investigation. Police have declined to comment.
Aftermath
Swimmers from the Parris Island Fire Department pulled the bodies from the sunken minivan that landed in the marsh on the Lady’s Island side of the bridge, according to Clay Emminger with Beaufort Water Search and Rescue.
The vehicle was submerged in about 7 to 9 feet of water because of the high tide, he said.
Emergency crews and volunteers returned later at low tide, and a crane lifted the vehicle from the marsh.
The time of death was 11:17 a.m., and an autopsy showed all four died by drowning, the Coroner’s office said. The Port Royal report indicated the surviving driver had no visible injuries.
Doe’s sister, Chacola Perry, declined to comment when reached Monday. A representative at Marshel’s Wright-Donaldson Home for Funeral said the family has asked for privacy as the police investigation is ongoing.
Multiple online fundraisers were started after the crash.
A GoFundMe started by Perry and Doe’s cousin, Kia Vonvega, is raising money to give Doe’s mother for funeral expenses, according to the page. Another GoFundMe page started by Danny Williams is raising money on behalf of his 11-year-old daughter, Ziara, a surviving sibling who was not in the vehicle that day, the page says.
A funeral and burial service was held Sunday afternoon in Beaufort.
“Ziara’s family was laid to rest with the respect and dignity they deserved,” Williams wrote in an update Sunday. “It was extremely difficult to watch a child so young say her final farewells to so many of her loved ones, but by God’s Grace she did it, and displayed more strength than anyone could imagine.”
Jashawn was a 10th grader at Battery Creek High School. He was quiet, loved to laugh and play basketball, and often talked of moving to California after graduation, a Beaufort County schools spokeswoman said.
School administrators plan to give Ziara, a sixth-grader at Robert Smalls International Academy, a purple quilt in honor of her mother’s favorite color.
Alonzo was in first grade at Robert Smalls.
Last week, his teachers and classmates wore blue one day and green the next, two of his favorite colors.
On Friday, the school and community supporters dressed as Spiderman, Alonzo’s favorite superhero.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 2:49 PM.
