Motorcycle crash on South Carolina road kills rider, Highway Patrol says
A South Carolina man was killed in a motorcycle crash Friday night, the Oconee County Coroner’s Office said.
James Richard Reid, a 70-year-old Salem resident, died in the accident, Coroner Karl Addis said Saturday.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 9 p.m. on S.C. 11, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Reid was driving a 2015 Harley-Davidson south on S.C. 11 when the motorcycle ran off the right side of the road, Bolt said. Reid died after the Harley crashed into a ditch and flipped over, according to Bolt.
Bolt said Reid was the only person riding the motorcycle, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if Reid wore a helmet.
Information about what originally caused the motorcycle to veer off the road was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through March 19, at least 184 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2023, and 15 involved a motorcycle, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,081 people died in crashes in South Carolina, and 144 involved motorcycles, DPS reported.
At least three people have died in Oconee County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 16 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
