Driver killed and passenger hurt when vehicle crashed into minivan, SC cops say

One person was killed and another was hospitalized Saturday after a motorcycle crashed head-on into a minivan, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

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The collision happened at about 12:45 p.m. in Greenville County, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt.

A 2024 Harley-Davidson was driving south on U.S. 276, according to Bolt. Near the intersection with Club Terrace Drive, not far from the state line separating South Carolina and North Carolina, the motorcycle crossed the center line and crashed into a 2016 Honda minivan that was driving north on U.S. 276, Bolt said.

The motorcycle driver died while a passenger on the Harley-Davidson was hurt and taken to an area hospital, according to Bolt.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said that Liberty resident Samuel Caleb Owens was the biker who died, WHNS reported.

Further information on the passenger’s condition was not available.

Bolt said that none of the six people in the minivan were hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

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There was no word if anyone on the motorcycle was wearing a helmet, or if anyone in the minivan had on a seatbelt.

Information about what caused the motorcycle to swerve into oncoming traffic was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Aug. 9, at least 515 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 29 people have died in Greenville County crashes this year, and 48 people died in wrecks there in 2025, according to DPS data.