South Carolina man dies in hospital days after crash in Lexington County, coroner says

A South Carolina man died in a Midlands hospital days after the motorcycle he was riding was involved in a crash with an SUV, the Lexington County Coroner’s Office said.

Christopher Lee Wingard, a 39-year-old Leesville resident, is the man who died following the April 26 accident, according to Coroner Margaret Fisher.

Wingard was being treated at Prisma Health Richland hospital in Columbia when he died April 28, said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 8:30 p.m. on April 26 in Lexington County, according to Ridgeway.

Wingard was riding a 1981 Honda motorcycle south on Juniper Springs Road, Ridgeway said. Near the intersection with Wire Road, in the Gilbert area, the motorcycle stopped in the road and was hit from behind by a 2011 Ford SUV that was also driving south on Juniper Springs Road, according to Ridgeway.

Wingard was thrown off the motorcycle into the road, and had to be airlifted by helicopter to the hospital, where he later died, according to Ridgeway.

Ridgeway said the SUV driver was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if Wingard was wearing a helmet, or if the SUV driver was wearing a seat belt.

Information about why the classic motorcycle was stopped in the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office.

Through Sunday, 281 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 18 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 45 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.