The bridge where Mallory Beach died

This is the bridge where Mallory Beach died in a boating accident.

It is called Archers Creek Bridge, and it is situated in Beaufort, South Carolina.

On the evening of February 22nd, 2019, Mallory and five of her friends attended an oyster roast at a house party on Paukie Island.

The group traveled to Paukie Island on a boat that was driven by Paul Murdaugh.

Paul was the son of a prominent personal injury attorney named Alex Murdaugh. Prior to the party, he had convinced the others to travel on his family's boat because he wanted to avoid DUI checkpoints.

After spending the night drinking at the oyster roast, the six friends got back on the boat and headed southward along Mulligan Creek. Although most of the group wanted to go home, Paul insisted on stopping at a waterfront bar in downtown Beaufort.

When they pulled up at the dock, Paul and Connor Cook went into a bar called "Luther's Rare & Well Done" and drank two rounds of shots.

While they were drinking, Mallory waited outside with her boyfriend, Anthony Cook, her best friend, Miley Altman, and Paul's girlfriend, Morgan Doughty.

Paul and Connor emerged from the bar fifteen minutes later and rejoined their friends. Camera footage showed that Paul was heavily intoxicated and struggling to walk straight.

Shortly after 1 a.m., the group got back onto the boat and continued their journey southward. However, it wasn't long before Paul began acting irrationally. According to the others, he became hostile and started driving in circles. He also reportedly slapped his girlfriend, Morgan, during a heated argument.

As they were making their way down Archers Creek, the group pleaded with him to let someone else take control of the boat. His driving was so erratic that Connor had to intervene on several occasions to straighten up the steering wheel.

At around 2.20 a.m., the group approached Archers Creek Bridge, which has a number of narrow bridge spans.

When boaters approach these kinds of bridges, they typically play it safe by dropping to an idle speed. However, Paul was so drunk and irate that he drove towards it at full throttle.

Moments later, the boat struck one of the columns.

During the accident, Mallory suffered a head injury and was tossed into the dark river, which quickly carried her away.

Eight days later, the 19-year-old's body was found roughly five miles away. The coroner's office determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and drowning.

Although Paul's father, Alex Murdaugh, worked behind the scenes to try and pin the blame on Connor, his efforts failed when Connor's injuries proved he was not driving the boat at the time of impact.

In April 2019, Paul was charged with boating under the influence and causing the death of Mallory Beach. However, he never got to stand trial.

Two years later, Paul and his mother, Maggie, were shot dead at the Murdaugh's family hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina.

His father was found guilty of the murders on March 3rd, 2023.