Dirt bikes crash head-on, leaving one rider dead and another hurt, SC cops say

One person was killed and another was injured when two dirt bikes were involved in a recent head-on crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

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The collision happened at about 10 p.m. last Friday in Marlboro County, said Master Trooper William Bennett.

A 2013 Kawasaki dirt bike was driving west on Gravel Pit Road and it crashed head-on with a 2003 Yamaha dirt bike that was heading east, according to Bennett.

The Kawasaki rider died at the scene, Bennett said.

The Marlboro County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the Kawasaki rider, but said it was a juvenile, WGHP reported.

The Yamaha rider was hurt and taken by EMS to an area hospital, according to Bennett. Further information on the Yamaha rider’s condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word if anyone involved in the wreck was wearing a helmet or other safety gear.

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Information about what led to the crash was not available, but it continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sunday 289 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2026, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A minimum of 914 people were killed in collisions in South Carolina in 2025, DPS data shows.

At least one person has died in a Marlboro County crash this year, and nine people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.