The bridge where Mallory Beach died in a boating accident

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 being driven by Paul Murdaugh.

Paul, who was the son of prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh, had decided to take his family boat to the party because he wanted to avoid DUI checkpoints.

After spending the night drinking on Paukie Island, they jumped back on the boat and headed southward along Mulligan Creek. Although most of the group wanted to go home, Paul insisted that they should make a quick stop in downtown Beaufort and visit a waterfront bar.

When they pulled up at the dock in Beaufort, Paul and Connor Cook went into a bar called "Luther's Rare & Well Done" and drank two rounds of shots. Meanwhile, Mallory waited outside with Anthony Cook, Miley Altman, and Morgan Doughty.

Fifteen minutes later, the pair emerged from the bar and rejoined their friends. By that point, Paul was heavily intoxicated and struggling to walk straight.

Shortly after 1 a.m., the six friends got back onto the boat and continued their journey southward. However, it wasn't long before Paul began acting irrationally. According to his friends, he became hostile and started to drive 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 a number of occasions and 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. Sadly, her friends were unable to locate her before she was carried away by the current.

Eight days later, the 19-year-old's body was found roughly five miles away from the bridge. According to the coroner's report, 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 Cook, his efforts failed when Connor's injuries proved that he was not driving the boat at the time of impact.

In April of 2019, Paul Murdaugh 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 Murdaughs' family hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina.

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

Further information is available in the "Photos" section below.

Photos

Photos of the bridge and other related images.

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