Hilton Head bartender died after fall down stairs, officials say. Police investigating
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is investigating what led to a Hilton Head bartender being found unconscious at a location on the south end of the island and dying days later, an official said Thursday morning.
Brian Turano, 46, was found in Orleans Plaza on New Orleans Road around 7:30 a.m. Saturday and airlifted to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah before dying there Tuesday afternoon.
He died from a traumatic brain injury after he fell down a flight of stairs, according to the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.
“We are reviewing the incident,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Capt. Bob Bromage said.
Bromage said Turano’s death — which wasn’t being actively investigated early Wednesday afternoon — “appears to be an accident” and there was nothing to indicate foul play was involved.
The Sheriff’s Office is conducting interviews now, he said. There are no cameras in the area where Turano was found.
Turano’s friend and former co-worker Tonya Smith-Cameron said the bartender had been in a coma since the day he was found and had multiple skull fractures, a brain bleed, two broken ribs and a broken wrist.
She said she’d been angry police weren’t further investigating what led to him being found unconscious but is glad to know they are looking into the case now.
“It helps me breathe to at least know they are looking into it,” Smith-Cameron said. “We need closure. We need to know.”
Bromage said law enforcement is aware of rumors being posted to social media and encouraged anyone with credible information relating to the incident to contact the Sheriff’s Office.
This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 2:56 PM.
