DUI and a Wreck in Charleston
South Carolina Highway Patrol charged a man with driving under the influence after a wreck left his friend dead late Saturday in Dorchester County. Troopers say the accident happened around 11:40 p.m. on Highway 17-A near Highway 61, when a 2000 Jeep attempted to pass a 2008 Mercury while both vehicles were traveling north. Authorities say the two vehicles made contact with each other and the Jeep ran off the road and overturned, ejecting 21-year-old Amanda Carey, of Summerville.
Carey was pronounced dead at the scene by Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet. Troopers said Carey was not wearing a seatbelt. No one in the Mercury was injured.
The Jeep’s driver, 21-year-old Taylor Watkins, was charged with driving under the influence. He was taken to the Dorchester County Detention Center, and was later released after posting bond.
Nisbet initially said Carey and Watkins were cousins, but later said they were actually just good friends. According to Carey’s Facebook page, she graduated from Fort Dorchester High School in 2010.
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