Hilton Head-area student dies of brain injury after crash in late April, coroner says
A 22-year-old Hilton Head native has succumbed to a traumatic brain injury following a traffic accident in late April.
Jacob Towery Collins died Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, said deputy coroner Shane Bowers at the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy will not be conducted.
Lance Cpl. Nick Pye of the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) said the crash took place around 8 p.m. on April 23. Collins was traveling east on Fording Island Road (U.S. 278) in a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado pickup while a Toyota SUV pulled onto the highway from Okatie Center Blvd. The cars collided in the intersection, leaving the other vehicle’s occupants with minor injuries.
Collins recently graduated with a computer programming certification from the Technical College of the Lowcountry, according to his obituary. He had worked part-time in Jasper County’s IT department since early 2023.
Lovingly called “J” by his family, Collins was known as a kind, gentle soul who “quietly loved those that he cared about,” his obituary says. He stayed busy with challenging repair projects: rebuilding four-wheelers and mini bikes, working on his boat and constructing a custom PC.
A funeral mass was held Tuesday afternoon at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. Founding pastor Father Gregory West, who baptized Collins into the church, delivered the homily.
“God was with Jacob every step of the way: at his bedside, with his family, with you as you prayed for him, hoping against hope that he would recover,” West told the congregation. “But God has not exited the scene.”
The crash remains under investigation by the SCHP. Collins’ death marked the twelfth of 14 traffic-related fatalities in Beaufort and Jasper counties so far this year. Others include:
This story was originally published May 15, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
