Family of Hilton Head man killed in Shelter Cove crash sues driver they say caused wreck
The family of a 77-year-old Hilton Head Island man who died in a fatal crash in 2019 at Shelter Cove and U.S. 278 is suing a New Jersey man who they claim caused his death by failing to yield, according to a lawsuit.
The case brought by the family of Norman McNeill alleges that the driver of the pickup truck, John Tilton, hit McNeill and caused him to crash into a tree. His actions were “grossly negligent,” and he should have to pay damages, the lawsuit states.
The suit, first filed in May, was moved from state court to U.S. District Court of South Carolina last month because the damages sought by McNeill’s family exceeded $75,000, according to the filings. The judge set the trial for June 1, 2021.
On the afternoon of June 7, 2019, McNeill was driving a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe going south on U.S. 278 while Tilton was turning left onto U.S. 278 out of Shelter Cove Plaza near Hickory Tavern. Tilton failed to yield the right of way, and the two vehicles collided, according to Lance Cpl. Matt Southern with the S.C. Highway Patrol.
McNeill’s blue Corvette hit the truck first, and McNeill ran off the left side of the road, where he struck a tree in the U.S. 278 median, said Southern.
He died on June 19 at Memorial Health University Center in Savannah from his injuries, according to Beaufort County Deputy Coroner David Ott.
Southern said McNeill was not wearing a seat belt at the time. No charges were filed, he said.
Tilton’s attorney did not respond to two calls for comment, but he argues in a filing in federal court that Tilton “was faced with a sudden emergency not of his own making.”
He did not know McNeill “would drive erratically, at a high rate of speed, changing lanes and otherwise creating a dangerous situation and, therefore, the accident was unavoidable,” according to Tilton’s attorney.
Since the crash, a traffic signal has been installed at the intersection where McNeill was killed. And a $1.45 million construction project meant to make the Shelter Cove corridor safer is nearly complete.
