Columbia man dies after being run over. Help needed to find his family

Authorities are trying to locate the family of a man who died after being struck by a car and run over in a Columbia parking lot.

Timothy Harkless Jr., 25, died on Sunday after the accident in the parking lot at 931 Senate St. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said Harkless was lying down in the lot when a vehicle ran over him shortly before 8 a.m. He died at the scene.

In the days since, the coroner’s office has been unable to locate Harkless’s family to inform them of the young man’s death. The county coroner and Columbia police are continuing to investigate the incident and trying to locate Harkless’s next of kin.

“The coroner is hoping that by releasing his name, the public will be able to help us locate family members,” the coroner’s office said in a statement.

Anyone with information about Harkless is asked to contact the coroner’s office at 803-576-1799.

This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 8:01 AM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

803-771-8405

Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription