South Carolina man thrown into guardrail and killed in multi-vehicle crash, coroner says
One person was killed Sunday in a crash that involved a motorcycle and an SUV, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Greer resident Austin Blake Smith was the motorcycle rider who died in what the Pickens County Coroner’s Office called an accident.
The collision happened at about 11:20 a.m. in Pickens County, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the Highway Patrol. That’s not far from the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.
Both a 2021 Ford SUV and a 2016 KTM motorcycle were driving north on S.C. 11, according to Bolt. The SUV slowed and was turning left into a private driveway when it collided with the motorcycle that was attempting to pass, Bolt said.
Smith — who was wearing a helmet, jacket and gloves — was thrown into a guardrail suffered multiple traumatic injuries and died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office.
Bolt said the SUV driver, who was the only person in that vehicle, was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt.
The crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.
Through Sunday, 447 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least nine people have died in Pickens County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data.
