SC man killed in motorcycle crash on major highway, Lexington County coroner says
A Midlands man was killed Monday in a motorcycle crash on a major highway, according to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.
James M. Rials, a 63-year-old Gaston resident, died in the accident, Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 7 a.m. in West Columbia, according to the release.
Rials was driving a motorcycle west on Augusta Road and was entering the on ramp of Interstate 26 at Exit 111 when he lost control of the vehicle, Fisher said.
Rials, who was not wearing a helmet, crashed and died at the scene, according to the release.
No other injuries were reported.
Both the I-26 exit ramp and one westbound lane in the 2600 block of Augusta Road were temporarily blocked by the West Columbia Police Department to investigate the wreck.
The crash continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office and West Columbia police.
Through Sunday, 439 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, and 48 involved a motorcycle, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 16 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 43 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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