Charleston Co. coroner identifies 4 victims of Saturday morning crash

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Coroner’s Office released the names of the four men killed early Saturday morning in a crash on James Island.

Earl Hamilton Jr., 29; James Hamilton, 27; Mitchell Watson, 26; and Tyler Barron, 29, all died at the scene of the crash on Riverland Drive, Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal said. The coroner’s office confirmed the two Hamiltons were brothers.

Charleston Police responded at approximately 1:24 a.m. to a “serious single-vehicle crash” in the area of Riverland Drive and George Griffith Boulevard, Sgt. Craig DuBose said.

The police department’s Major Accident Investigation Team conducted a preliminary investigation, which indicated that a 2010 Cadillac SUV was traveling south when it ran off the road and struck a 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, DuBose said..

Officials do not believe there were any other vehicles involved in the collision. Riverland Drive remained closed for several hours after the crash, reopening at around 8 a.m.

The collision remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Charleston Police Traffic Unit at 843-965-4084.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.