Corey Harris was riding his e-bike to James Island Charter High School last week when a vehicle struck him near Fort Johnson Road and Seaside Lane. The 15-year-old remembers the car as a silver or gray Honda Accord. The driver got out briefly, then drove away, leaving Harris hurt on the side of the road.
According to Live 5 News, Charleston Police Department documents identify Harris as the e-bike rider who was hit, and describe the driver as having reportedly exited the vehicle briefly before leaving the scene. Harris's e-bike stopped working after the crash, so he was taken to the school's nursing office before being transported to MUSC Shawn Jenkins for further observation. He suffered bruising and road-rash-consistent injuries to his left elbow, right knee, right toe and left hip area.
The collision cost Harris his football season. “His season was over as of last Monday. He still goes to watch the guys because he's still a part of the team,” his grandmother, Dorothy Mack, said, according to the same report. Harris still dreams of playing for the James Island Charter High School Trojans, and Mack has said he has another chance to play football down the road. “I just pray this don’t happen to nobody else,” she said.
Family Pushes for Driver to Come Forward
Mack reached out to Charleston County Councilwoman Julia Drayton-Crumblin for help and to raise awareness about safety concerns in the area, the station's report notes. Drayton-Crumblin said she is willing to hear proposals from SCDOT, the county or the city to improve the intersection near the school. She also addressed the driver directly, saying they should tell the family it was an accident and explain why they left, though she said leaving a child behind does not become excusable.
Under South Carolina law, a driver involved in a crash must remain at the scene until fulfilling the requirements of state statute, though the law does allow a driver to temporarily leave in order to report the crash to authorities, per the South Carolina Code of Laws. The evidence reviewed does not establish whether the driver's actions amounted to a violation, nor does it establish the driver's identity or whether charges have been filed.
A Known Trouble Spot Near the Restaurant
The crash happened near the Edisto restaurant on James Island, whose owner, Joel Lucas, says the area is no stranger to trouble. He told the outlet the restaurant has seen many close calls and a couple of minor fender benders at the location, describing a period of roughly 30 minutes when traffic chaos develops and becomes extremely dangerous.
A Corridor With a Long History of Crashes
Fort Johnson Road's problems extend well beyond this one stretch. The road recorded 356 collisions over the past 10 years, resulting in five deaths and 147 injuries, according to state Department of Public Safety figures cited by The Post and Courier. The newspaper reported 32 accidents since 2015 at the Fort Johnson Road and Secessionville Road intersection, and 16 accidents over the past decade at Fort Johnson Road and Camp Road.
Separate reporting from Live 5 News in March put the Secessionville Road numbers at 85 crashes over the past decade, including one death and 36 injuries, with 36 crashes at Camp Road over the same span, including one fatal crash and 14 that caused injuries. Another outlet, Count on 2, separately cited 38 accidents at the Camp Road intersection since 2020. The figures vary depending on the time frame and area measured, but they all point to the same conclusion: this corridor has a documented, long-running crash problem.
Infrastructure Fixes Are Underway, With Timelines in Dispute
Local and state agencies have been working on the corridor for years. Charleston County, the City of Charleston, the Town of James Island and SCDOT have all prioritized improvements at Fort Johnson Road and Camp Road, according to the Charleston County Roads project page, which cites 38 accidents over a five-year period at that intersection. County staff ultimately recommended an urban compact roundabout there after SCDOT determined the intersection did not meet requirements for a traffic signal, per Charleston County Roads' meeting documentation. At Secessionville Road, staff instead recommended a traffic signal with crosswalks.
Charleston County Council's finance committee unanimously voted in August to award an $11.7 million contract to Banks Construction Company covering both projects, The Post and Courier reported. The Camp Road roundabout is estimated to cost $5 million to $6 million, while the Secessionville Road signal is estimated at $4.5 million, according to a project page maintained by jamesislandsc.us, which also notes both projects received a Notice to Proceed on October 8, 2025.
The project's current status is murky. The Charleston County Roads page states that as of August 13, 2026, the roundabout had been installed and was open to vehicular traffic. But a March report from Live 5 News said construction on the broader James Island safety overhaul was expected to continue through June 2027. The dossier reviewed does not establish whether these improvements address the Seaside Lane location where Harris was struck.
Other safety concerns have surfaced nearby even as the construction moves forward. In July, Fort Johnson Estates residents told ABC News 4 that a large tree trunk was blocking their view of oncoming traffic as they left their neighborhood. And the intersection's history includes more than statistics: on Halloween night in 2023, County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt's son was hit and T-boned at Fort Johnson Road and Camp Road, The Post and Courier reported.
For now, Harris's family is still waiting for answers. No driver has been identified, and the circumstances of the crash remain under review. Mack's message, echoed by Drayton-Crumblin, is simple: come forward, and do the right thing.
