Myrtle Beach man charged with felony DUI in crash that sent 5 people to hospital

A Myrtle Beach man remains with a $30,500 bond in connection to two separate North Myrtle Beach car crashes that sent five people to the hospital.

Gerald Carl Sudman, 60, is charged with felony driving under the influence, hit and run, open container violation and two counts of no driver’s license, according to jail records.

Sudman was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center Thursday and remains jailed on a $30,500 bond, according to jail records.

North Myrtle Beach police responded to 37th Avenue South on Wednesday in reference to a hit and run where witnesses said the driver fled the scene, according to a police report. While responding to the first collision, officers were called to a second crash at 8th Avenue South and Highway 17 northbound involving the same vehicle.

When officers arrived at the second accident witnesses said Sudman “stumbled out of the vehicle where he laid down on the curb,” the report said. Officers found Sudman still lying on the sidewalk with a “very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” on his breath, police said.

One officer gave Sudman several sternum rubs and he eventually woke up, grabbed the officer by her neck and said, “you’re in grave danger,” the report said.

Sudman was transported to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries. Medical staff told police Sudman had a strong odor of alcohol and they “believed him to be very intoxicated,” police said.

Police found an open can of Steel Reserve beer “in plain sight” in the center console of Sudman’s car, and Sudman’s wallet only contained a valid S.C. identification card – no driver’s license, the report said.

Four other people were taken to the hospital and treated for injuries, and one passenger had a fractured thoracic vertebra which required immediate surgery, the report said. The injury caused “protracted loss and impairment of the function of a body member,” so Dusman’s DUI charge was amended to a felony DUI, police said.

Several witnesses told police Sudman, who was driving a black Cadillac, was speeding on Highway 17 just before hitting the second vehicle. Two witnesses said they had to swerve into the median to avoid being rear-ended by Sudman’s car when it swerved across three lanes of traffic and hit the second vehicle, the report said.

Witnesses pulled over to help the victims when they say two children climbing out the back seat because the two adults in the front seat were trapped, the report said. A second witness said Sudman passed him at “well over 100 mph” and almost hit two other vehicles, the report said.

A warrant was issued to retrieve the toxicology reports indicating Blood Alcohol Concentration levels and any narcotics found in Sudman’s blood at the time of his admission to the hospital.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach man charged with felony DUI in crash that sent 5 people to hospital."