Hilton Head charter captain killed in motorcycle collision Thursday night, troopers say
A charter boat captain from Hilton Head was killed in a motorcycle collision Thursday night on U.S. 278, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Nathaniel James Riley, 30, was pronounced dead at 10:11 p.m. Thursday at the scene of the crash, according to Margaret Bowyer, a deputy coroner at the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. The islander was wearing a helmet at the time of collision but was killed “on impact,” she said.
As the founder of Tighten Up Fishing Charters, Riley captained a 23-foot SeaCat to take patrons on fishing expeditions off the coast of Hilton Head. He was born and raised on the island, the company’s website says. He began working on boats at 18 and received his captain’s license in 2021, which he used to start his business a few years later.
The collision occurred around 9:45 p.m. as Riley drove his 2022 Kawasaki motorcycle west on U.S. 278 (William Hilton Parkway) while a Nissan SUV attempted to turn left onto Squire Pope Road, according to Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the SCHP. The motorcycle collided with the car and Riley “spilled into the roadway,” the release says.
The driver of the SUV was not injured and stayed on the scene as county deputies, troopers and the coroner responded, according to an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
SCHP is investigating the crash.
