One dead, another in jail after motorcycle crash on Lexington Co. highway, SC cops say
A motorcycle rider is dead and another man is in jail following an overnight collision on an interstate running through Lexington County, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said Sunday.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 12:30 a.m. on Interstate 20, Cpl. Sonny Collins said. The wreck was on the westbound side of I-20, near Exit 39, according to Collins. That’s the junction with U.S. 178, heading toward Pelion and Batesburg-Leesville.
The rider of a 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was killed after being hit from behind by a Ford Mustang, Collins said.
Jeremy Shane Smith was identified as the biker, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said. The 49-year-old Aiken resident was wearing a helmet and he died at the scene from injuries sustained in the wreck, according to Fisher.
The Mustang driver was identified as Deangelo Cunningham. The 28-year-old was charged with felony DUI, as well as leaving the scene of a collision involving death, according to Collins.
Cunningham is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center where he is waiting for a bond hearing, jail records show. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 12, according to Lexington County court records.
No other injuries were reported, and the wreck remains under investigation by Highway Patrol.
Shortly after the crash, a collision happened in the same area of I-20 that blocked all of the eastbound lanes, South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter. Both wrecks were cleared around 2:30 a.m., according to SCDOT.
If convicted on the hit-and-run charge, Cunningham would face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to South Carolina law. The felony DUI charge is also punishable with a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, South Carolina law says.
Through Friday afternoon, 71 motorcycle riders have been killed on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. In those collisions, 53 crash victims were not wearing a helmet, DPS reported.
This is at least the 26th fatal crash in Lexington County this year and the sixth involving a motorcycle, according to DPS.
Overall, 639 people have died in crashes on South Carolina roads this year, DPS reported.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 9:36 AM.
