One person was killed and another was injured Monday night when a motorcycle crashed into a car on Interstate 20, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said. Vernon A. Deas, a 55-year-old Sumter resident, died in the accident, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Wednesday night.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 7:10 p.m. in Richland County, according to Master Trooper Gary Miller. A 2016 Nissan Versa was legally stopped on the median of I-20 near the 76 mile marker, Miller said. That’s in Columbia, near the junction with Interstate 77.
A 2002 Yamaha motorcycle was driving east on I-20 and it hit the rear of the Nissan, according to Miller. The motorcycle rider died, Miller said. The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the motorcycle rider. The Nissan driver was hurt and taken to an area hospital, according to Miller. Further information on the Nissan driver’s condition was not available. No other injuries were reported. There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt, or if the motorcycle rider was wearing a helmet, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through Sunday, 636 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 38 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 67 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.