Deputy, 2 others identified in Hilton Head crash

A Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy and two others were injured following a three-car accident on Hilton Head Island Friday morning.

The accident occurred at about 8:15 a.m. on eastbound U.S. 278 near Spanish Wells Road, according to Capt. Bob Bromage of the Sheriff’s Office and fire marshal Joheida Fister of the Hilton Head Island Fire & Rescue Division.

The deputy, Selena Nelson, 37, and Teresa Sirico, 35, of Bluffton, were transported to the Hilton Head Hospital emergency room with minor injuries, said Lance Cpl. Matthew Southern, a spokesman for the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Southern said Sirico was “slowing for traffic” in her 2006 Mazda SUV when a 2006 Hyundai SUV driven by 31-year-old Bluffton resident Natalie Monts struck the rear of Sirico’s vehicle. Deputy Nelson’s patrol cruiser then struck the rear of Monts’ car, which sent the Hyundai back into the rear of the Mazda.

“There were some contributory factors assigned to the deputy and Ms. Monts,” Southern said, “but no charges have been filed.”

“The crash remains under investigation,” he said.

The deputy’s vehicle, a 2013 Dodge Charger, was valued at approximately $28,000 when it was purchased, Bromage said.

When a deputy is involved in an accident, Bromage said the standard procedure is for the deputy’s supervisor to send up through the chain of command photographs of the vehicle and the S.C. Highway Patrol’s report. If the highway patrol finds the deputy at fault, the deputy can be assessed a “10 percent punitive reimbursement” up to $1,000 of the cost of the vehicle.

Punitive reimbursement money goes to the Sheriffs Office’s general fund and toward repairs of the vehicle.

The S.C. Highway Patrol will investigate the incident, Bromage said.

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 9:18 AM with the headline "Deputy, 2 others identified in Hilton Head crash."