HILTON HEAD ISLAND — A third person has died in Beaufort County road incidents in just over a week.
A driver was killed in a single-vehicle crash at the Sea Pines traffic circle shortly before 11 p.m. on July 23. The individual has not yet been identified by the Beaufort County Coroner's Office.
According to Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the S.C. Highway Patrol, the driver was traveling on Palmetto Bay Road when the vehicle crossed onto the traffic circle and struck several trees. The collision remains under investigation.
Earlier, on July 15, 72-year-old Gregory Herman of Bluffton was struck and killed while riding an electric bicycle on Hilton Head Island. He was pronounced dead at the scene after sustaining blunt-force injuries in a collision with a 2019 Dodge Charger on Marshland Road.
Two days later, Christopher James, 31, of Wrens, Georgia, died after being struck while riding a bicycle by a 2011 Toyota SUV. Both James and the Toyota were traveling north on Trask Parkway near Stroban Road around 9:40 a.m. when the collision occurred, resulting in James's death from blunt-force trauma.
So far this year, 15 fatalities have occurred on Beaufort County roads, compared to nine in the same timeframe in 2022. Statewide, fatalities and fatal accidents have decreased compared to last year.