JAMES ISLAND — Four people were killed in a car crash early Nov. 18 after a vehicle careened off a narrow road and smashed into a grand oak known locally as “The Widowmaker Tree,” according to local police.

A 2010 Cadillac SUV carrying five people south on Riverland Drive near George Griffith Boulevard ran off the road and struck a tree, according to Sgt. Craig DuBose of the Charleston Police Department. The crash occurred just after 1 a.m.

“Four passengers were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected, suffering fatal injuries,” he said.

The driver was taken to a local hospital to be treated for serious injuries.

There is no indication another vehicle was involved, DuBose said. The department’s Major Accidents Investigation Team is investigating. No criminal charges have been filed.

Police closed the road as investigators worked the scene. Riverland Drive reopened to traffic at 8 a.m.

The collision occurred south of James Island County Park. Riverland Drive is a narrow, two-lane road surrounded by trees, including one knows as The Widowmaker that stands just off the roadway at the beginning of a bend for vehicles traveling south. The speed limit is 40 mph. 

The Charleston County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the victims.

The Charleston Police Department asks that anyone with information relevant to the investigation contact the agency’s Traffic Unit at (843) 965-4084.

This is a developing story.