Melvin Otto Lamb, 32, of South Carolina, has been sentenced to serve three to five years in prison followed by five years of probation after pleading guilty to reckless homicide in a deadly nine‑vehicle crash on June 12, 2021, in Mount Pleasant. Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Roger M. Young, Sr., imposed the sentence after Lamb entered his plea just before his jury trial was set to begin.
What caused the crash
Prosecutors say Lamb was driving a 2008 Chevy Tahoe northbound on Highway 17 near Hamlin Road at 68 mph—well above the 45 mph speed limit—when he rear‑ended a 2019 Chevrolet Trax that was stopped at a red light. The impact triggered a chain‑reaction crash involving nine vehicles. Data shows Lamb maintained that speed for about five seconds before the collision without turning or braking.
Investigators determined he was distracted by his phone, scrolling through Tinder and Snapchat and using Spotify. Lamb admitted he did not know what happened immediately before the crash because he was looking at his phone and not the road.
Fatal outcome and legal consequences
Emergency crews took Lamb and the victim to the Medical University of South Carolina. The victim later died from injuries sustained in the crash, while Lamb was released with only minor injuries. The Mount Pleasant Police Traffic Division, with support from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, led the investigation. Lamb’s guilty plea to reckless homicide now keeps him classified as a convicted felon, with the sentence intended to reflect the seriousness of a distracted‑driving‑related death.
