By Mike McCombs
The Island News
A Sunday morning, single-vehicle crash on County Shed Road in Burton left one person dead and sent another to the hospital.
According to Lance Cpl. Lena Butler of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the collision occurred at approximately 7:17 a.m., on secondary Highway 73 (County Shed Road) near Parris Island Gateway, three miles west of Beaufort.
There were two occupants in the vehicle involved, a 2020 Ford F-150 pick-up truck, which was traveling southbound when it traveled off the right side of the roadway and collided with a tree.
The passenger, identified by the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office as Francisco Galnarez-Garcia, 28, of St. Helena Island, “succumbed to their injuries on scene.”
According to the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP), the driver, identified as Jose Gabriel Cruz Castillo, 22, of St. Helena Island, fled the scene but was promptly apprehended.
He wasn’t found at the scene, but he was in close proximity, according to the SCHP. He was transported by EMS to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.
Cruz Castillo was charged with Felony DUI Resulting in Death and Hit And Run. After the treatment of his injuries, he was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center. He was released on Monday.
County Shed Road was closed to traffic for several hours.
Mike McCombs is the editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
