1 charged in November crash involving ‘Widowmaker’ tree

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The Charleston Police Department (CPD) announced charges Thursday morning in connection with a deadly November 2023 crash on Riverland Drive.

Four people were killed and another person, Brittany Roper, was injured after their 2010 Cadillac SUV ran off the roadway and struck a tree, known as the “Widowmaker,” during the early morning hours of Nov. 18.

Roper, 26, was arrested Thursday morning and is being charged with four counts of felony driving under the influence. A bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

A report from Charleston PD’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) revealed Roper had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.090%, along with the presence of THC and THC metabolites.

“Information from the vehicle’s event data recorder indicated that the vehicle was traveling at a speed between 89 and 96 mph moments before the crash and between 79 and 88 mph at the time of the collision. The posted speed limit on the section of the road in which the collision occurred is 40 mph,” the department stated.

Officers responded to the crash on Riverland Drive near Griffith Road just before 1:30 a.m. and found the SUV had collided with the tree and was on its side. All four passengers were ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal previously identified the four victims as 29-year-old Earl Hamilton Jr., 27-year-old James Hamilton, 26-year-old Mitchell Watson, and 29-year-old Tyler Barron.

“This devastating collision has inflicted unimaginable pain and loss upon the families of the victims. It was not just tragic and senseless but also entirely preventable. Our deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those whose lives were so abruptly taken. This incident illustrates the dire consequences of impaired and reckless driving – a harsh reality that should remind us all of the responsibility we hold when behind the wheel,” said Charleston Police Chief Chito Walker.

Community and family members have since called for that tree to be removed from along Riverland Drive due to the number of crashes at that site.