SC man killed after getting hit in crash with deputy in patrol vehicle, coroner says
A Midlands man died days after being hit in a crash that involved a Sumter County sheriff’s deputy, South Carolina officials said.
Hercules Sharper, a 62-year-old Sumter resident, died at Prisma Health Richland hospital, Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said Tuesday.
Sharper died Monday, five days after the collision on U.S. 15/Lafayette Street, according to Lance Cpl. William Bennett of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s near downtown Sumter, about 1.5 miles from Prisma Health Tuomey hospital.
Two other people, including the sheriff’s deputy, were hurt in the crash and also were taken to the Richland County hospital, officials said. Further information on their conditions was not available.
At about 5 p.m. on June 21, the deputy was driving a 2018 Ford SUV south on Lafayette Street and ran off the right side of the road, according to officials. The patrol vehicle collided with a 2016 Kia sedan that was parked on private property and a utility pole, Bennett said.
Sharper and another pedestrian were standing next to the parked car, according to Bennett.
Both the Kia and the pole struck Sharper, while the other pedestrian was hit by the car, Bennett said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to Baker.
Information about what caused the deputy to veer off the road was not available, but Baker said his office and the Highway Patrol are continuing to investigate the crash.
There was no word if the deputy was wearing a seat belt, or the speed of the SUV at the time of collision.
Information about any possible criminal charges or discipline facing the deputy was not available.
On Wednesday, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office told The State it declined to answer questions about the crash because it’s still under investigation.
“We join our community in prayer for those involved,” sheriff’s office spokesman Mark Bordeaux said.
At about the same time as the crash, the sheriff’s office said deputies were involved in a manhunt in the area. They were searching for a man who had his arms handcuffed behind his back when he escaped from deputies who were securing a crime scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
By 7:45 p.m., the man had been captured and taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, Bordeaux said.
Through Sunday, 471 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 15 people have died in Sumter County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 30 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
