On February 24, 1946, one of the worst nightmares occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, when a freighter known as the Nicaragua Victory crashed into the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, ripping down a 240-foot section of it. In all, five people perished, all of whom were in the only vehicle that plunged into the waters below.
In 1995, the Grace Memorial Bridge scored only a 4 out of 100, or an F, in safety. Today, the Ravenel Bridge stands in its place, or as the locals call it, the Cooper River Bridge.
The accident serves as the perfect meeting point between history and haunting. A married couple was on that bridge that day, one hundred fifty feet above the river, when their car was passed by a green Oldsmobile driven by Elmer Lawson and family. Mrs. Clapper later recalled the bridge breaking apart, but she was able to stop in time, and the Lawson family tragically died.
Even when I visited The Citadel in 1995, many would tell the story about the ghost car. People have reported encountering a late-model, green Oldsmobile with a family inside that vanishes into thin air, especially in February. Others have observed the old car stopping and starting erratically. Some still say that even on the new bridge, if conditions are right, you can still see the Lawson family driving in the afterlife.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
