Transport and Logistics Network
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – A grieving mother got the chance to express her concerns about a traffic hazard at Thursday night’s county council meeting.
Jametta Hamilton hopes to shed light on just how dangerous a tree along Riverland Road is. The tree, commonly referred to as the “Widowmaker Tree,” claimed the lives of four people[1] in a crash earlier this month.
Two of the victims were her sons, Earl and James.
The crash happened at approximately 1:24 a.m. on Nov.
18.
Investigators determined a 2010 Cadillac SUV was traveling south when it ran off the road and struck the tree.
Police said none of the five people inside the vehicle were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and the four who died were ejected from the SUV.
The fifth remained in the vehicle and was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
The “Widowmaker Tree” is located on Riverland Drive in between North Grimball Road and George L. Griffith Boulevard.
Although on James Island it is within the jurisdiction of the City of Charleston and the Roadway is maintained by SCDOT.[3][4]
Since 2018, there have been 23 total collisions involving a tree on Riverland Drive between North Grimball Road and George L.
Griffith Boulevard, according to data from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
This is a developing story.
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