Parents of Bluffton Realtor killed in May River Road crash sue driver, owner of vehicle

The family of a Bluffton Realtor who died in April at the scene of a May River Road crash allegedly caused by a man driving with three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system has filed a lawsuit against the man and the owner of the vehicle he drove.

Shawn and Vicki Mieczkowski filed the negligence, wrongful death and negligent entrustment civil suit against Nikolai Wheeler and Rebeca Long on May 16 in Beaufort County Common Pleas Court in connection with the death of their son Cullen Mieczkowski, 34, who died April 14.

The lawsuit alleges that Wheeler, 27, was pulled over by the S.C. Highway Patrol on April 9 and charged with driving under the influence before he was released from the Beaufort County Detention Center the same day.

Five days later, Wheeler was driving eastbound on May River Road around 5 p.m. in a white 2008 Nissan 350-Z owned by Long when he was witnessed to be driving “erratically, weaving in and out of his designated lane and traveling at a rate of speed upwards of 100 mph,” the lawsuit said.

Cullen Mieczkowski also was driving eastbound on the road when his vehicle allegedly was rear-ended by Wheeler’s, causing Mieczkowski’s vehicle to veer into oncoming westbound traffic.

Mieczkowski’s vehicle then struck a vehicle driven by Kareem Simmons, who suffered “significant bodily injuries,” the lawsuit said.

After the wreck, Wheeler allegedly ran away until he was caught by Bluffton Police Department officers.

According to a Bluffton Police report, Wheeler admitted to consuming half a bottle of vodka and Xanax bars prior to the crash. His blood-alcohol content was .256, more than three times the legal limit.

The lawsuit alleges that, when asked about the wreck by Bluffton police and told that there had been a fatality, Wheeler told officers that he “did not care.”

The lawsuit says Long knew or should have known that Wheeler was addicted to intoxicants or had a habit of drinking before allowing him to use her vehicle.

The Mieczkowski family is being represented by Hilton Head Island attorney Daphne Withrow of Olivetti, McCray & Withrow LLC.

On Wednesday, Withrow said that the family has not yet received a response to the lawsuit from either Wheeler or Long.

Wheeler remains in the Beaufort County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond on two felony DUI counts — one resulting in death and the other in great bodily injury — hit and run involving death, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury and driving under a suspended license.

This story was originally published May 24, 2017 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Parents of Bluffton Realtor killed in May River Road crash sue driver, owner of vehicle."