Motorcycle rider killed in crash with SUV on major highway in Richland County, cops say

A motorcycle rider was killed Sunday in a crash with an SUV on a major interstate running through Columbia, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 3:20 p.m. on a section of Interstate 20 in Richland County, said Cpl. Tyler Tidwell.

A 2016 Jeep Patriot was driving east on I-20 when it hit a 2007 Honda VTX 1300 that was merging into an eastbound lane of the highway from entrance ramp at Exit 74, according to Tidwell. That’s the junction with U.S. 1/Two Notch Road.

The motorcycle rider was taken to a hospital in Richland County and later died, Tidwell said.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the motorcycle rider.

There was no word if the motorcycle rider was wearing a helmet.

Tidwell said the SUV driver was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

The Highway Patrol did not say if the crash remains under investigation.

All of the eastbound lanes near the exit on I-20 were temporarily blocked because of the wreck, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation. It was just before 5 p.m. when the scene was cleared, SCDOT said.

Through May 29, at least 409 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 25 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 67 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.