Documents reveal moments before fatal beach accident involving former Horry County police officer

WARNING: The following story contains details that some may find disturbing. The reader should read it carefully.

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – The South Carolina Highway Patrol’s investigation into a fatal beach crash involving a Horry County police officer is shedding new light on the moments leading up to the accident.

The June 13 incident resulted in the death of Sandy Schultz-Peters after she was struck by former HCPD Lieutenant Julian “Duke” Brown in his patrol car near the beach access on Nash Street.

Brown has since retired from the police force.

WMBF News received documents and videos from the SCHP investigation on Friday following a Freedom of Information Act request.

WHAT THE RESPONDENT POLICE REPORTED

These documents include case notes from the SCHP's Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT), which rely on dashcam footage taken by emergency responders on the day of the accident.

A police officer who arrived at the scene was told by other emergency responders that a tire was on Schultz-Peters' chest. The officer was also told that bystanders helped lift the truck and remove sand from around Schultz-Peters to get her out.

The officer then questioned Brown, who told him that he had just driven to the beach and was on the phone with the National Weather Service about weather conditions.

The documents say that after the phone call, Brown turned around and started to leave the building. He then allegedly told the officer he “heard a crunching sound,” immediately got out and saw Schultz-Peters. Brown then said he notified dispatch when lifeguards arrived to help.

Brown also told the trooper he did not see Schultz-Peters, but saw a low chair next to her. He also said he began to straighten the truck when the accident happened and he was traveling less than five miles per hour.

The newly acquired information also includes new aerial photographs showing the crash site.

SECOND INTERVIEW WITH BROWN

The filing further states that Brown was interviewed by his attorney four days after the accident.

Brown stated that he had just eaten lunch before the crash and noticed that the surf looked rough, so he went to Springmaid Pier and contacted the National Weather Service.

Brown then walked down the ramp, past an orange cone, and noticed people sitting on the embankment. He also said he looked both ways to see if there were “any problems, any tents or people swimming in the distance because the sea was so rough that day.”

Brown said he then spoke to the National Weather Service on the phone for nearly three minutes and then decided to head out to get gas.

“I was already turning and heard a noise as if I had run over something with a tire,” he said.[I] automatically stopped, put it in park, pulled over and saw that the surface of my right front tire was on part of this lady.”

The case report also includes details of interviews with witnesses and people who called 911 on the day of the incident.

An earlier SCHP report said Brown was not paying attention when he hit Schultz-Peters.

“Unit No. 1 [Brown’s patrol truck] was parked on private property facing east. Unit No. 2 [Schultz-Peters] sat facing east on private property. The driver of Unit No. 1 [Brown] began to drive forward and due to inattention crashed into Unit No. 2,” the SCHP report states.

At the time of the crash, Brown was with the Horry County Police Department and served as the director of beach safety.

Schultz-Peters' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the HCPD – Brown was not listed as a defendant.

In a response, the HCPD claimed the department was not the direct cause of the accident and moved to dismiss the lawsuit.

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