N. Charleston is featured in a lawsuit over the death of a drowning victim

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) –

At the end of Flynn Drive, at an unmarked and unofficial boat ramp, in November 2022, Cy’von Wright drove into the dark waters of the Ashley River. Witnesses say that after getting out of the car, Wright called for help, but quickly disappeared. down the river and under the water.

The lawsuit says that at about 3:30 a.m., Wright knocked on the door of a home on Flynn Drive but got no answer and returned to a parked car. The lawsuit alleges that Wright was looking for a house but was unfamiliar with the area and therefore was not at the correct address.

The lawsuit states: “Residents, not knowing him, called the police. When he was spotted by the police, he was probably scared because he didn’t know his exact location. He left the house and the police followed him at high speed.”

It all happened between 3:00 and 5:00. Later that day, while searching for Wright in the river, police later discovered that the Mercedes-Benz Wright was driving had been stolen.

A lawsuit filed by Wright’s mother on his behalf states, “North Charleston police officers took no action to save Wright and in fact can be heard on their body cameras speaking as if they were looking for a suspect who instead he tried to escape. victims of drowning”.

The lawsuit alleges the city was negligent in hiring responding officers and training them based on how they performed at the scene. The document states that any rescue attempts did not begin until 10 minutes after he saw Wright in the dark waters.

The lawsuit also alleges SCDOT was negligent and liable for the poorly marked boat ramp, saying the agency “failed to take any steps to warn of or protect against a known hazard in its service area.”

The only sign on the ramp is a large white littering penalty sign above a much smaller blue one that reads, ATTENTION: BOAT LANDING CLOSED DURING DARK MARKETING AND PASSAGE PROHIBITED TO RESIDENTS ONLY.

The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 5, 2024, nearly two years after the incident, says Wright’s family deserves damages and any legal costs to get it.