Driver arrested after woman was severely injured in Hilton Head ATV crash
Beaufort County deputies arrested the driver of an ATV after a crash that left a passenger severely injured on Hilton Head Island last week.
The suspect, a 29-year-old Hilton Head man, was charged late Monday night with reckless driving, open container, uninsured motor vehicle and operating a vehicle that is not registered and licensed.
Police say he was driving the ATV with two passengers when the vehicle crashed into a ditch near Arrow Road on south-end Hilton Head around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 22.
Ashley Facenda, a 25-year-old Bluffton resident and new mother of a 3-month-old, was thrown from the vehicle.
She was airlifted to Savannah’s Memorial Health University Medical Center with significant road rash, a collapsed and punctured lung and several broken bones, including her collarbone and scapula. She also suffered fractures to her fibula, rib and spine, according to an online fundraiser organized on behalf of her family.
The other woman on the ATV was left with a broken nose and a “bad laceration to her face,” Facenda’s father, Christian Powers, wrote on Facebook. The driver “sustained no serious injuries.”
“We do know in our hearts that this was not something that was deliberately caused by the driver of the ATV to hurt anyone,” Powers wrote in a post on Tuesday after sharing news of the arrest. “It is truly a somber reminder that poor decisions can lead to devastating consequences for everyone involved.”
In about six days, the fundraiser for Facenda’s recovery had reached $35,700 out of its $40,000 goal.
Additional details of the crash were not made available by police, as the investigation was still active.
The suspect was released from the Beaufort County jail the afternoon after his arrest on personal recognizance bonds totaling $1,370, meaning he would not be required to pay the amount unless he violated court conditions.
His four charges are all misdemeanors carrying a maximum punishment of 30 days in prison.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette do not typically name individuals charged with misdemeanor offenses unless they are in a position of public trust or there is a compelling reason to do so.
