Police expect answers in about 4 weeks on Bluffton crash that killed mom, unborn child

The findings of an investigation into a Bluffton crash that killed a Hilton Head Island Elementary school teacher and her unborn son are expected to be complete in three to four weeks following a crash recreation conducted by Bluffton police on Sunday.

Bluffton Police Department investigators took measurements along U.S. 278 at the intersection of Buck Island Road from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday to determine skid marks and point of impact in connection with the July 26 crash that killed Jesse Floyd, 27, according to Joy Nelson, spokesperson for the Bluffton Police Department. Floyd was 26 weeks pregnant with a boy at the time of the crash.

Three vehicles were involved in the crash when a vehicle turning left from westbound U.S. 278 onto Buck Island stalled across three lanes. A service van and an SUV driven by Ryan Floyd, Jesse Floyd’s husband, hit the stalled vehicle.

The S.C. Highway Patrol must also complete vehicle inspections of the vehicles involved, Nelson said.

“All those measurements are put into very lengthy calculations that need to be done by hand,” Nelson said of the investigation. “Once those are complete and the vehicle inspections are complete, we will be able to release the findings.”

Since the crash, the flashing yellow left turn light at the intersection has been changed to a red and green light following a public outcry for change.

The light was changed Wednesday morning, according to the S.C. Department of Transportation.

Ryan Floyd, who suffered head lacerations and a broken ankle during the crash, posted his thoughts on the day of his wife’s funeral on his Facebook page.

“It’s impossible to comprehend how the smallest of things can change the rest of your life in a split second,” Ryan Floyd wrote. “We had so many plans for the future.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Police expect answers in about 4 weeks on Bluffton crash that killed mom, unborn child."