Bluffton woman, 2 restaurants sued after mom and 3 kids severely injured in DUI crash, suit says

A mother who was severely injured with her children in a crash on U.S. 278 earlier this month filed four personal injury lawsuits Tuesday against the driver accused of DUI and two Bluffton businesses where the driver allegedly drank earlier that night, according to online court documents.

Rosaria Lopez is suing Michelle Lynn Pearson, a 51-year-old Bluffton business owner who was charged last week with four counts of felony DUI related to the March 12 head-on collision. Lopez also is suing Chow Daddy’s and Truffles Cafe — alleging the restaurants served Pearson knowing she was intoxicated before the crash, according to the lawsuit.

Lopez filed four separate lawsuits on behalf of herself and her three children under the age of 18 who each suffered “severe and permanent injuries” in the collision, according to online court documents. Tabor Vaux, a Bluffton attorney, is representing Lopez and her three children in the suit.

Price Beall, owner of Chow Daddy’s and Truffles, said his restaurants “fully cooperated” with police while they investigated the incident. He did not wish to comment on the lawsuit.

Pearson did not respond to a voice mail and email sent by an Island Packet reporter Tuesday.

The crash occurred at the intersection of U.S. 278 and Buck Island Road — which has been called one of the town’s most dangerous intersections by Bluffton officials — just before 11 p.m., according to the Bluffton Police report.

The lawsuit alleges that Pearson, a Bluffton business owner, had been drinking alcohol at several locations on the night of the crash.

Pearson drank before arriving at Chow Daddy’s in Belfair, where she “was served and consumed a number of alcoholic drinks,” the lawsuit alleges. She then left Chow Daddy’s “dangerously impaired” and went to Truffles, where she was served again, “despite her increasing intoxication,” according to the lawsuit.

After leaving Truffles, Pearson drove west on U.S. 278 and crashed into Lopez’s vehicle while trying to make a left turn onto Buck Island, the lawsuit said. Pearson allegedly failed to yield the right of way and was making an improper turn when she crashed. The crash occurred about a mile from Truffles Cafe.

Police said Pearson “smelled of alcohol, had glassy and bloodshot eyes, and was slurring her words,” according to the report.

After she told police that she had not been drinking, she eventually “admitted to drinking at a bar after an event she had for work,” the report said.

Pearson was arrested after failing several sobriety tests, according to Bluffton Police. She originally was charged with driving under the influence, a misdemeanor offense, and was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center for less than 12 hours before she was released March 13, according to online court records.

Capt. Lee Levesque, spokesperson for the Bluffton Township Fire District, told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette after the accident that five people were hospitalized with injuries

Her bond was set $992, but she was released on personal recognizance.

She was was arrested again on March 18 by Bluffton Police. Additional DUI charges were filed after further investigation and police found “more information about the injuries involved in the accident,” Capt. Joe Babkiewicz, Bluffton Police Department spokesperson, previously told The Island Packet. She was released the next day, according to online court records.

After her second arrest, Pearson’s bond was set at $25,000, but she was released on personal recognizance, online court records said.

The suit also alleges Pearson was driving “too fast for conditions” before she crashed.

Pearson owns Interior Motives Inc., an interior design firm in Bluffton, according to her company’s website. The company’s Facebook page has been removed since last week.

If convicted of felony DUI causing great bodily harm, Pearson could face up to 15 years in prison for each count, according to South Carolina law.

This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 5:42 PM.