2-month-old dies after 3-car Beaufort Co accident. He wasn’t in a car seat, authorities say

A two-month-old boy died Sunday after a three-vehicle accident in the Okatie area during rush hour Friday, according to authorities.

The accident occurred at the intersection of S.C. 170 and S.C. 462 at 5:20 p.m. May 24, according to Lance Cpl. Matt Southern of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Andrei Mitlescu, of Naples, Fla., died Sunday at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, according to Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen. The infant was not in a car seat at the time of the accident, Allen said.

Mitlescu was one of six people traveling in a 2019 Chrysler Pacifica van on S.C. 462. The van attempted to turn left at the stop sign onto S.C. I70 and was struck by a 2017 Alfa Romeo that was traveling eastbound on S.C. 170, according to Southern.

The two vehicles then struck a 2019 Nissan Rogue, Southern said.

One other person sustained injuries in the accident, according to Southern. An occupant in the Alfa Romeo who was wearing a seatbelt suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

An autopsy is being performed on Mitlescu, Allen said Monday.

The SCHP Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is investigating the crash, Southern said.

According to South Carolina law, children under the age of 2 must be placed in rear-facing child passenger restraint systems/ car seats.

“Car safety seats can reduce the chance for death by 70% in infants under 1 year, and 54% in toddlers aged 1 to 4 years,” according to the American Society for the Positive Care of Children.

This story was originally published May 27, 2019 at 1:31 PM.