Motorcycle rider killed in overnight crash on South Carolina road identified by coroner
One person was killed Wednesday in an overnight motorcycle crash, according to South Carolina officials.
Willie J. Thomas, a 62-year-old Aiken resident, died of blunt force injuries, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said Thursday.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 9 p.m. in Aiken County, said Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Thomas was driving a 2008 Kawasaki north on Croft Mill Road and ran off the right side of the road at the intersection with Edgefield Highway, according to Glover. That’s about 3 miles from Exit 18 on Interstate 20.
Thomas was ejected from the motorcycle and died at the scene, Ables said.
The Aiken County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the rider.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the rider was wearing a helmet.
Information about what caused the motorcycle to veer off the road was not available, but the crash is being investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office. Toxicology analysis is pending, Ables said.
Through Sunday, 321 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 12 people have died in Aiken County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 29 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
