Coroner identifies bicyclist killed in Bluffton-area crash while trying to cross US 278
The bicyclist who was struck and killed by a sedan on U.S. 278 last month has been identified as a 40-year-old Bluffton man.
Zachary Daniel Buzzetto, a former resident of St. Helena Island, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash the night of Nov. 22. The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office did not perform an autopsy.
Coroner’s office personnel would not specify Buzzeto’s cause and manner of death or whether he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The fatal crash happened around 8:32 p.m. Nov. 22 as the cyclist attempted to cross Fording Island Road near the highway’s intersection with Gateway Village Road, located outside Bluffton town limits near Home Depot, according to Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Buzzetto collided with a 2019 Honda Accord that was traveling west on U.S. 278.
There are no crosswalks in the intersection where the crash occurred. The speed limit is 45 mph on that portion of Fording Island Road.
Criminal charges were not pursued for the driver of the Honda, who remained on scene while SCHP responded. All westbound lanes of the highway were closed for over an hour following the crash.
Funeral arrangements for Buzzetto had not been publicly announced as of Tuesday morning.
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 9:56 AM.
