One person killed in SC motorcycle crash in early hours of Christmas morning

There was a deadly motorcycle crash early on Christmas morning on a South Carolina roadway.

Edgar A. Gonzalez Paz, 31, of Aiken died at the scene at 1 a.m. Thursday after he was ejected from a motorcyle, according to an Aiken County Coroner’s Office news release.

South Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper Hannah Davidson said the crash happened at about 12:30 a.m. on Augusta Road at Atomic Road in Aiken County.

A 2017 Honda motorcycle was traveling south on Augusta Road, the Highway Patrol said, when it went off the left side of the road and struck several small trees. Gonzalez Paz, who was the only occupant of the cycle, died from injuries in the crash, authorities said.

The wreck remains under investigation.

This story was originally published December 25, 2025 at 8:03 AM.

Chris Trainor

The State

Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 21 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of a host of South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.