Hilton Head driver gets prison time for causing fatal crash after fleeing police
A Hilton Head Island man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for causing a deadly March 2020 crash on U.S. 278 after fleeing from police. Esteban Javier Rosa-Mendez, 25, pleaded guilty Tuesday to reckless vehicular homicide and failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death.
A Beaufort County jury had already heard attorneys’ opening arguments when Rosa-Mendez “changed his mind” and entered his plea, according to a press release from the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
The fatal crash happened March 2, 2020, after a sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over a red 2013 Toyota Corolla for speeding on William Hilton Parkway. A 19-year-told Rosa-Mendez, who was driving with four passengers inside, refused to stop and instead “accelerated and weaved through traffic” after turning onto Squire Pope Road, the press release says.
Deputies ended the pursuit due to the potential risk to other drivers, according to prosecutors.
Just a few minutes later, Rosa-Mendez ran a red light and caused a violent three-car collision at the intersection of Gum Tree Road and U.S. 278. A data recorder showed he was driving 81 mph in a 45-mph zone.
Hilton Head resident Colton Tanner Poirot, 22, who was driving the first car that was struck, was pronounced dead on the scene.
Rosa-Mendez and his four passengers were hospitalized with injuries. One passenger required her jaw to be wired shut, according to the solicitor’s office press release, and another told police that Rosa-Mendez had urged the group “to say they did not remember anything.”
Reckless homicide charge, previous convictions
After Rosa-Mendez’s initial arrest for driving under suspension the night of the crash, police charged him with reckless homicide the following month and failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death in March 2021.
Circuit Court Judge Robert Bonds handed down the sentence Tuesday in the Beaufort County Courthouse. Rosa-Mendez received credit for 1,003 days already spent in jail, reducing his prison term to about 17 years.
Prosecutors said Rosa-Mendez had previous convictions for failure to stop for blue lights, possession of marijuana and four separate counts of driving under suspension.
“The defendant’s deliberate disregard for the safety of everyone on the road cost Colton Poirot his life,” said Jared Shedd of the solicitor’s office, who prosecuted the case. “Our office is committed to holding offenders accountable for such recklessness, and we are grateful to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and S.C. Highway Patrol investigators who helped us do that. We hope the outcome brings a measure of comfort to Colton’s family, as well.”
Wrongful death lawsuits filed
Following the crash, the deceased driver’s sister, Lindsey Poirot, filed wrongful death lawsuits naming the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Rosa-Mendez and the owner of the Toyota.
A judge ruled in the BCSO’s favor in 2022, arguing that the deputy’s 30-second pursuit could not have been a “proximate cause” of the fatality because it was terminated two miles away from the crash site.
The other lawsuit against Rosa-Mendez and the Toyota owner ended in a $75,000 settlement for Lindsey Poirot and other claimants, according to court documents.
