Teenager killed when ATV runs off road and crashes into tree, SC coroner says
A South Carolina teenager was killed in an all-terrain vehicle crash, according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.
Kurtis Phillips, a 15-year-old Jackson resident, died in the June 21 collision, Coroner Darryl Ables said in a news release.
It was about 5 p.m. when Phillips was driving a Honda ATV on Bluff Landing Road, according to the release. The teen lost control of the ATV, which ran off the right side of the road and crashed into a tree, Ables said.
EMS took Phillips to a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, where he died, according to the release.
There was no word if Phillips was wearing a helmet.
No other injuries were reported.
Information about what caused Phillips to lose control of the ATV was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office.
Phillips was remembered as “a ball of energy, extremely funny and goofy and one of the sweetest individuals you would ever meet,” according to his obituary.
Funeral services will be held Thursday at the Posey Funeral Chapel in North Augusta, followed by burial in the Vaucluse Cemetery, Posey Funeral Directors said.
Phillips is survived by his parents and six siblings, among other family members, according to the obituary.
“Kurtis is greatly loved by his family, and he will be dearly missed by all who knew him,” the obituary said.
Through Sunday, 471 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 18 people have died in Aiken County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 29 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published June 28, 2023 at 1:59 PM.
