Bluffton traffic deaths are spiking. Police need help putting the brakes on the trend
In response to increasing traffic fatalities on Beaufort County roads — and on the heels of a Buckwalter Pkwy crash that killed a motorcyclist last week — the Bluffton Police Department wants to partner with community members to keep commuters safe.
The department is holding a “Community Safety Discussion” on Monday, August 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to share measures law enforcement is taking to prevent collisions in Bluffton. Attendees can also take the “Stay Safe, Bluffton!” pledge to stop distracted driving, similar to Bluffton’s Lutzie 43 initiative.
Five people have died on Bluffton roads since the beginning of this year, with 17 fatalities so far in Beaufort County. If fatal crashes continue at a similar rate, 2023 could become the deadliest year for Bluffton and Beaufort County roads in recent memory. The highest recent peak came in 2021, with nine deaths within Bluffton town limits and 26 in Beaufort County, according to data from the SC Department of Public Safety.
But Bluffton police also want to prevent non-fatal crashes. The town averages about 1400 total collisions per year, most of which are caused by distracted driving: driving under the influence, cell phone use, eating, drinking and personal grooming.
“Due to the numerous comments on social media after the recent fatality on Highway 278 last Sunday, I thought a public discussion was necessary to educate our community about the ways Bluffton officers are proactively attempting to reduce collisions,” Bluffton Chief of Police Joe Babkiewicz said. “We need our community to partner with (Bluffton police) about being more mindful drivers and I hope, together, we can work on reducing collisions and this senseless loss of lives.”
2023 fatal accidents in the Bluffton area
- Feb. 19, 4:30 p.m.: Savannah man Kemonte Lamar Williams died after his motorcycle crashed into an SUV on S.C. 170 near Bluffton.
- May 17, 1 p.m.: At least one person was killed after a van collided with a sedan on U.S. 278 near Malphrus Road, flipping the sedan over multiple times.
- June 11, 3:40 a.m.: Bluffton residents Yerson Josue Ramirez and Mario Eduardo Membreno-Elvir were killed after their car veered off May River Road and struck a tree. A third passenger was taken to the hospital with severe injuries.
- July 10, 5:43 a.m.: Carlos Melendez-Contreras and Osman Zuniga-Melendez, both of Beaufort County, died in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Bluffton Parkway and Buck Island Road.
- August 6, 7 p.m.: Marc Garrity, a 54-year-old man from Ridgeland, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash after a four-door Toyota collided with his motorcycle on U.S. 278 near Buckwalter Pkwy.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
