Hilton Head bartender dies after he was found unconscious on south end, officials say
A 46-year-old Hilton Head Island man died Tuesday afternoon after falling down a flight of stairs and being found unconscious outside a location on New Orleans Road Saturday, Beaufort County officials said Wednesday afternoon.
Brian Turano died from a traumatic brain injury just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, deputy coroner David Ott said.
Turano was a bartender at FISH Casual Coastal Seafood in the Coligny area.
Hilton Head Island Fire & Rescue responded to a call at 7:35 a.m. Saturday about an unconscious person on New Orleans Road, spokesperson Joheida Fister said. She said EMS transported the patient to the airport to be airlifted to the hospital.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of the incident, according to spokesperson Capt. Bob Bromage.
Bromage said there is no ongoing investigation into the death because it appears to have been an accident.
Tonya Smith-Cameron, a friend and former co-worker of Turano’s, said he was in the hospital in a coma since Saturday morning with injuries including multiple skull fractures, a brain bleed, two broken ribs and a broken wrist.
She said the family is not planning to hold a funeral, but she and some of Turano’s friends intend to host a celebration of life soon.
Smith-Cameron said Turano was the kind of person who would give someone the shirt off his back no matter who they were.
“He was my best friend,” Smith-Cameron said. “He was a kind spirit, a kind soul, generous and funny.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2018 at 3:24 PM.
