Lexington County coroner identifies Harley-Davidson rider killed in crash with tree
One person was killed overnight after crashing a motorcycle into a tree in Lexington County, South Carolina Highway Patrol said Monday morning.
The motorcycle rider was identified as Brandon Shawn Matthews, 42, of Batesburg, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release.
The single-vehicle collision happened just before 11:30 p.m. on Ansel Caughman Road, close to the point where it becomes Union Church Road, Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell said. That’s near the intersection with U.S. 378 (Columbia Highway) and Union Lutheran Church in Leesville.
Matthews was riding a 1999 Harley-Davidson, heading west on Ansel Caughman Road, according to Tidwell.
The motorcycle ran off the right side of the road and smashed into a tree, Tidwell said.
Matthews was not wearing a helmet and died after the crash, according to Fisher.
Information on what caused the Harley to veer off the road was not available, but the wreck is under investigation by Highway Patrol.
Prior to this collision, 32 motorcycle riders have been killed on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. In those collisions 24 crash victims were not wearing a helmet, DPS reported.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 7:37 AM.
