He was biking from NY to LA, but he was killed by a van just outside Columbia
A 27-year-old from South Korea was on an American cross-country bicycle adventure when he was struck and killed by a van just outside Columbia.
Richland County Coroner Gary Watts has identified Sangyoon Jeon, of Busan, South Korea, as the victim of a fatal collision on Garners Ferry Road in Eastover on Monday afternoon. Jeon died of blunt force injuries to the head and torso, Watts said on Tuesday.
Jeon was riding from Darlington to Columbia on Monday, according to Scott Nuelken, a local bike shop owner who was expecting to host Jeon at his home Monday night. Nuelken and Jeon had connected through a website called Warmshowers.org, where touring cyclists find places to stay on their journeys.
Nuelken had exchanged text messages with Jeon on Saturday and grew concerned when he did not hear from his guest on Monday.
“In his messages, he was very sweet,” said Nuelken, who runs the Cola Town Bike Collective on Elmwood Avenue.
According to Jeon’s Warmshowers online profile, he was riding his bicycle from New York City to Los Angeles. He began his journey Oct. 15 and hoped to arrive in Los Angeles on Jan. 5. He wrote in his profile that he looked forward to sharing his bicycle tour story with those who invited him to stay in their homes.
Previous hosts who had welcomed Jeon wrote on Warmshowers that he was considerate, quiet and polite. “He even read my kids a bedtime story,” one host wrote.
The crash that killed Jeon is being investigated by the S.C. Highway Patrol and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. On Monday, no charges had been filed against the driver of the van that struck Jeon.
This story was originally published November 5, 2019 at 2:36 PM.
