Driver charged with DUI in SUV crash near Chester that injured 4 child passengers
A South Carolina woman is charged with DUI and child endangerment after four children in the SUV she was driving were hurt in a crash Sunday in Chester County, officials said.
Alexandria Antoniette McCoy, 27, of Chester, was arrested Sunday after the wreck on S.C. 97, said Master Trooper Gary Miller of the S.C. Highway Patrol.
McCoy was driving the SUV about 10 miles west of Chester when the vehicle went off the left side of the highway and hit a tree and an embankment, Miller said.
The four children were ages 1 through 10, Miller said. The 1-year-old child has serious injuries and was admitted to a Columbia hospital, Miller said. It is unclear if the 1-year-old was restrained by any required child safety equipment inside the SUV, Miller said.
The other children did have seat belts on and were treated for injuries, Miller said. McCoy was charged after receiving treatment for her injuries, Miller said.
Police have not released McCoy’s relationship to the children.
Felony DUI with great bodily injury carries up to 15 years in prison for a conviction, South Carolina law states. The child endangerment charge carries up to half of any sentence for the DUI conviction, state law shows.
The collision remains under investigation by the S.C. Department of Public Safety Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation (MAIT) team.
McCoy remains in the Chester County jail under a $70,000 bond, court and jail records show.
