West Columbia man dies in motorcycle crash that hospitalized other biker, coroner says
A West Columbia man was killed in a motorcycle crash that sent another biker to the hospital, the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office said Monday.
The three-vehicle collision happened at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday on U.S. 321, said Cpl. Matt Southern of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The wreck happened near the juncture with S.C. 34, which is close to the South Carolina Railroad Museum and Fairfield Central High School.
Paul Bryan Simmons II, 26, died after he was ejected from the motorcycle he was riding, Coroner Chris Hill said.
Simmons, riding a 1996 Kawasaki, and another biker on a 2005 Kawasaki were heading south on U.S. 321, according to Southern.
Simmons crashed into a 2014 Nissan four-door that was making a left-hand turn onto a northbound lane of U.S. 321, Southern said.
The Nissan was exiting a recycling center when it was struck by Simmons’ motorcycle, according to Hill.
The other motorcycle rider saw the collision and laid down the Kawasaki to avoid ramming into the Nissan, Southern said.
Neither Simmons nor the other motorcycle rider wore helmets, according to Southern.
While Simmons died at the scene, the other biker was taken to Lexington Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, Hill said.
Further information on the second motorcycle rider’s condition was not available.
There was no word on possible criminal charges, but the collision remains under investigation by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Through Monday morning, 86 motorcycle riders are among the 773 people that have been killed on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. In those collisions, 63 crash victims were not wearing a helmet, DPS reported.
Simmons was at least the 13th person killed in an Fairfield County crash in 2020, and the second motorcycle rider, according to DPS.
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This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 12:32 PM.
