The Murdaugh Boat Crash: What Happened?

On February 23, 2019, Paul Murdaugh took his family's boat out for a night of partying with friends on the Beaufort River. The boat crashed into the Archers Creek Bridge in Beaufort, South Carolina, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach and seriously injuring two other passengers. Paul Murdaugh was allegedly drunk at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol content of .24, three times the legal limit. He was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence, but was murdered in 2021 before he could stand trial.

Paul Murdaugh's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit

On the night of February 23, 2019, Paul Murdaugh took his family's boat out with five friends for a night of partying on the Beaufort River. The night ended in tragedy as the boat crashed into the Archers Creek Bridge, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach and seriously injuring two other passengers.

In the aftermath of the accident, Paul Murdaugh was uncooperative with medical staff at the hospital. Several hours after the crash, his blood alcohol content (BAC) was measured at .24, which is three times the legal limit. This fact is significant as it indicates that Paul Murdaugh was heavily intoxicated at the time of the crash.

According to witnesses, Paul Murdaugh had been drinking alcohol throughout the evening, both before and during the boat trip. Prior to boarding the boat, he and his friends assembled at the Murdaugh family's river house, where they had access to a cooler with drinks. Later, during the boat trip, Paul Murdaugh and another passenger, Connor Cook, went to a waterfront bar where they each consumed two shots of alcohol.

The high BAC level of .24 indicates that Paul Murdaugh had consumed a significant amount of alcohol. This level of intoxication would have severely impaired his judgment, reflexes, and coordination, all of which are critical for operating a boat safely. It is no surprise that his reckless behaviour led to the tragic crash that claimed the life of Mallory Beach and injured others.

The legal limit for blood alcohol content varies depending on jurisdiction and the type of vehicle being operated. In the United States, for example, the legal limit for operating a boat is typically higher than that for driving a car. However, in all cases, a BAC of .24 is significantly above the legal threshold and indicates a dangerous level of intoxication.

Mallory Beach's body was found 5 miles from the crash site

On the night of February 23, 2019, Paul Murdaugh, then 19, took his family's boat out for a night of partying with friends on the Beaufort River in South Carolina. There were three couples on board, including Mallory Beach and her boyfriend, Anthony Cook. Although all the passengers were underage, they managed to buy alcohol using fake and borrowed IDs.

The night began on Murdaugh Island, where the Murdaugh family maintains a private residence. From there, the group headed to an oyster roast on Paukie Island. According to GPS data, they docked at 8 p.m. and stayed until around midnight. As they set off again, the river had grown dark and foggy. Paul Murdaugh and Connor Cook then went into a bar on the Beaufort waterfront, while the rest of the group waited at a nearby park.

After downing two shots each at the bar, Murdaugh and Cook rejoined their friends at 1:15 a.m. Surveillance footage captured Anthony Cook and Mallory Beach as they headed back to the boat with the others. This was one of the last known images of Mallory.

According to statements from passengers, Murdaugh's behaviour on the boat was concerning. He refused to let anyone else drive and started doing donuts. One passenger, Miley Altman, recalled seeing the bridge approaching as Connor Cook briefly took the wheel, but Murdaugh stopped him, insisting on driving his own boat.

Shortly after 2:20 a.m., the boat crashed into the Archers Creek Bridge. Mallory Beach was ejected from the boat and went missing. It would take eight days of searching before her body was found about five miles down the river from the crash site.

In the aftermath of the accident, Murdaugh was uncooperative with medical staff. Several hours after the crash, his blood alcohol content was measured at .24, three times the legal limit. He was charged with three felony counts, including boating under the influence and causing the death of Mallory Beach and serious injuries to two other passengers. However, before he could stand trial, Murdaugh was murdered in June 2021, along with his mother, Maggie. The charges against him were subsequently dropped.

Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felony counts

On February 23, 2019, 19-year-old Mallory Beach died in a boat crash in South Carolina. Beach and five other teenagers had been travelling on a boat piloted by Paul Murdaugh, also 19, when it crashed into the Archers Creek Bridge in Beaufort. Murdaugh was a member of the powerful Murdaugh family, which had several generations of lawyers with longstanding connections to the local prosecutor's office.

On April 18, 2019, Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence, causing the death of Mallory Beach, and seriously injuring two other passengers. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on bond.

Investigators and volunteers spent eight days searching for Beach. Her body was found about five miles down the river from the crash scene.

In the aftermath of the crash, Paul Murdaugh was uncooperative with medical staff. Several hours after the incident, his blood alcohol content was recorded at .24, three times the legal limit. Murdaugh claimed that one of the other teenagers, Connor Cook, had been driving the boat. However, evidence from Cook's injuries proved that he was a passenger, and he was not charged.

In addition to the criminal charges, the Beach family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several members of the Murdaugh family, including Paul's brother, Buster Murdaugh, who allegedly lent Paul his ID to purchase alcohol, and Paul's mother, Maggie Murdaugh, who allegedly allowed Paul to use the boat while drinking. The lawsuit also named the store that sold alcohol to the underage teens.

Before Paul Murdaugh could stand trial, he was shot and killed at one of his family's properties in June 2021, along with his mother, Maggie. All charges against him were dropped, but the lawsuit against the Murdaugh family and others involved in the case continued.

Paul Murdaugh's father was found guilty of his murder

On June 7, 2021, Paul Murdaugh was found fatally shot alongside his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, on their family's rural property in South Carolina. Paul's father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted of their murders and sentenced to two life terms in prison. Alex has adamantly denied killing his wife and son, and he and his lawyers are seeking a retrial.

Paul Murdaugh's death came two years after he was involved in a fatal boat crash that killed his friend, 19-year-old Mallory Beach. In February 2019, Paul, Mallory, and four other teenagers took the Murdaugh family boat to an oyster roast on Paukie Island. Surveillance footage showed that earlier in the day, Paul had purchased alcohol using his older brother's ID. After spending several hours at the party, the group returned to the boat, with Paul insisting on driving to a bar in downtown Beaufort. There, Paul and one of his friends went inside and drank two shots each.

By the time they returned to the boat, Paul was allegedly intoxicated and acting erratically. He refused to let anyone else drive the boat and got into an altercation with his then-girlfriend. At around 2:20 am, the boat crashed into the Archers Creek Bridge in Beaufort, ejecting Mallory into the water and causing serious injuries to two other passengers. Mallory's body was found a week later, about five miles from the crash site.

Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence, including causing the death of Mallory Beach and seriously injuring two other passengers. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. However, before his case went to trial, Paul was killed, and the charges against him were dropped.

The Beach family received a $15 million settlement

On July 16, 2023, the Beach family received a $15 million settlement from Parker's, the convenience store chain that sold alcohol to Paul Murdaugh before the fatal boat crash. The settlement was reached after a judge refused to allow the Parker's Kitchen chain to be separated from Alex Murdaugh in an upcoming civil trial over Mallory Beach's death.

The Beach family's attorney, Mark Tinsley, stated that the settlement, paid by the store's insurance, was a large enough amount to show that stores need to take alcohol laws seriously. He also expressed hope that the settlement would prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The settlement resolved all the boat crash cases, including those of the four other crash survivors who received additional amounts: Connor Cook, Morgan Doughty, Anthony Cook, and Miley Altman.

The Beach family also received a settlement from the Murdaugh family in January 2023. The lawsuit filed by Mallory Beach's mother, Renee Beach, named several members of the Murdaugh family, including Paul's brother, Buster Murdaugh, and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, as well as the store where the underage teens purchased alcohol.

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