Three died after Charleston motorcycles and car crash: Cops

A South Carolina woman has died a month after she was involved in a collision that also killed two motorcycle riders and injured another, the Charleston Police Department said.

Crystal Henderson died Saturday from injuries sustained in the crash, police said in a news release. The 43-year-old Charleston resident was driving a car that hit two motorcycles on Dec. 26, 2021, according to the release.

At about 6:20 p.m., officers responded to the three-vehicle collision that involved the motorcycles and a Nissan Sentra, according to police.

The wreck happened on Magwood Drive, between Charlie Hall Boulevard and Ashley Crossing Drive, police said. That’s near the junction of Ashley River Road and Interstate 526.

Henderson was driving the Nissan south on Magwood Drive while the motorcycles were heading in the opposite direction, according to police. The Sentra veered across the center line, colliding head-on with the lead motorcycle and killing both riders, police said.

The car then struck the second motorcycle, causing minor injuries to the lone rider, according to police. Further information on that biker’s condition was not available.

The man and woman on the first motorcycle died at the scene, according to police.

The Charleston County Coroner’s Office identified Lowcountry residents Chad Belue, 50, and Lea Cook, 49, as the crash victims who died, WCSC reported. The coroner’s office said Belue was driving the motorcycle, and Cook was a passenger, according to WCBD.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word if any of the motorcycle riders wore helmets, or if the car driver wore a seat belt.

The road was closed for about four hours following the crash, according to police.

In 2021, 153 motorcycle riders were among the 1,121 people who had died on South Carolina roads, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

At least 78 people were killed in Charleston County crashes in 2021, and 11 involved a motorcycle, DPS reported.