Driver killed in crash near exit ramp of major highway in Columbia, SC cops say
One person was killed Sunday when a motorcycle ran off an exit ramp on a stretch of Interstate 77 in Columbia, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 12:45 p.m. in Richland County, said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway.
A Lexington resident was driving a 2004 Yamaha motorcycle north on I-77, and as the bike entered the exit ramp at Exit 15 it ran off the left side of the road, according to Ridgeway. That’s the junction with S.C. 12/Percival Road.
After leaving the exit ramp, the motorcycle hit a ditch and spilled, Ridgeway said.
The rider was taken by EMS to Prisma Health Richland hospital and later died, according to Ridgeway.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the rider.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word if the rider was wearing a helmet.
Information about what caused the motorcycle to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
Through July 28, at least 518 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 28 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 61 deaths in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
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