SC Highway Patrol searching for vehicle that fatally struck Hardeeville bicyclist Monday

In a call for information released Tuesday, the S.C. Highway Patrol said the vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run with a bicyclist outside Hardeeville town limits is believed to be a Chevrolet pickup truck or SUV manufactured between 1999 and 2007.

The suspect vehicle may have front-end or windshield damage from the collision Monday morning. After striking the bicyclist, the driver continued driving east on S.C. 46 (Plantation Drive) toward Highway 170, investigators say.

Hardeeville resident Terrence Davis, 61, was identified as the bicyclist killed in the collision. Jasper County Coroner Willie P. Aiken estimated he died of blunt force trauma around 4:00 a.m. Monday. His body was discovered around 6 a.m. by a motorist heading to work, the coroner said .

Highway Patrol investigators say the hit-and-run happened sometime between Sunday at 10:50 p.m. and 6:10 a.m. the following day. Spokesperson Trooper Nick Pye would not say how investigators were able to identify the potential make and year of the suspect vehicle.

The agency’s flyer puts the crash in front of PBG of South Carolina, Inc., a general contracting company whose office at 2555 Plantation Drive appears to have security cameras on its exterior. Phone calls to the business resulted in an error tone and company associates did not immediately respond to emails sent Wednesday morning.

S.C. 46 is a relatively remote state highway with a speed limit of 55 mph. There is no known traffic camera coverage in the vicinity of the crash.

An autopsy for Davis is scheduled for Wednesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to Aiken. The 61-year-old’s death marks the eleventh traffic-related fatality in Beaufort and Jasper counties so far this year.

Davis was a boxing and kung fu instructor in the Jasper County area, operating under the name “Master Davis World-Class Kickboxing.” A number of social media posts in the wake of his death demanded “justice for Karate Man,” his locally known nickname.

Anyone with information on the identity of the hit-and-run driver can make an anonymous call to the Highway Patrol at 843-953-6010 or 1-800-768-1501, as well as through Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111.

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