Traffic deaths on roads on James Island and across Charleston link two grieving mothers who lost their children. They’re asking state officials to impose safety measures to prevent future accidents on the dangerous roads where their children died.
On James Island, two sons of resident Jametta Hamilton — her only children — and two of their friends died Nov. 18 when an SUV carrying them and the driver crashed into a massive oak along Riverland Drive that’s called “the Widowmaker.”
Earl Hamilton Jr., 29, James Hamilton, 27, Tyler Barron, 29, and Mitchell Watson, 26, died at the crash scene, according to Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal. The driver, who was not identified, sustained serious injuries. Charleston police said an investigation is continuing.
At midnight on Nov. 18, James Hamilton celebrated his 27th birthday with his brother and their friends, said James’ and Earl’s mother, Jametta Hamilton of James Island.
The oak stands close to the roadway near a ditch in a sharp curve on Riverland Drive. Because of fatal accidents and a rash of collisions, Hamilton wants it cut down. Hamilton questioned that if oaks can be removed to build houses, “why can’t they take down an oak for lives to be saved?”
In January 2014, 21-year-old Lindsey Taylor Ranz died after being struck at the Coming Street and Septima P. Clark Parkway intersection on the Charleston peninsula. Since then, her mother Lynette Ranz, of North Charleston, has asked state officials to build an elevated crosswalk at that intersection.
The S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is currently doing a study to find safer ways to walk across the parkway where eight pedestrians have been struck and killed since 2012.
Kelly Moore, the agency’s director of public engagement, said the 2020 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan should be completed in early 2024.
Following ongoing conversations and a recent meeting with state lawmakers and SCDOT officials it appears the mothers might get some of what they’re asking for.
What families can expect
At a recent meeting of the Charleston County Legislative Delegation’s roads and bridges committee meeting, Hamilton said if the tree is spared, she’d like to see flashing lights, barriers and warning signs at the tree and along the road to prevent future fatalities.
SCDOT has recommended more safety signage, reflectors in curves in the roadway and object markers at the base of trees within 5 feet of Riverland Drive, according to a review of the road completed after the Nov. 18 accident. The review does not recommend removing the tree on Riverland Drive, designated in 1988 as a State Scenic Byway.
“SCDOT continues to evaluate these historic corridors for potential safety improvements,” Moore said in an email to the Charleston City Paper. “As a matter of practice, SCDOT works to preserve the grand oak trees in the area because of their historic and environmental value to the community.”
“While we continue to evaluate the status of the tree, SCDOT plans to install additional signs as soon as we can get it scheduled with our crews,” Moore said.
James Island resident and Republican state Sen. Sandy Senn said the death of Hamilton’s sons and their friends is “every mother’s nightmare. I am heartbroken.” Senn said she worries about her teenage son when he drives near the tree and through two sharp curves on Riverland Drive between George L. Griffith Boulevard and Grimball Road.
The victims of the Nov. 18 crash were not wearing seatbelts, Charleston police said. “We all teach our children to wear their seatbelts,” Senn said. “But if there is anything we can do to make the [roadway] safer, then we need to do that. If it is not enough, we will have to go back and revisit.”
A dangerous Crosstown highway
Ranz said she’s concerned she was not notified of the recent legislative delegation’s committee meeting.
“I want to be a part of making safety changes because that intersection [along the Crosstown] took lives, and it took my daughter’s life,” she said.
If installing an elevated crosswalk is not an option, Ranz said SCDOT should consider flashing signs warning motorists to prepare to stop and speed limit lights that flash when motorists drive too fast.
Transportation committee chairman and state Rep. Matthew Leber, R-Charleston, said safety measures will likely include more safety signs. Leber said he’ll keep an open mind on the elevated pedestrian walkway and if it is not in the SCDOT report, he’ll ask why it is not being considered.
Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, said more signs along the parkway is a cheap solution. An elevated crosswalk, he said, is the best answer to save lives. Gilliard said the existing pedestrian bridge over the Crosstown is obsolete and should be moved closer to the King Street end of the parkway.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.