SC man killed in head-on crash was on his way to pickup grandkids, coroner says
One person was killed Monday when a car and pickup truck crashed, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Gerard Maurice Cornioli, 84, is the driver who died in the wreck, the Laurens County Coroner’s Office said. Cornioli’s wife said the retired U.S. Marines Staff Sergeant was driving to pick up their grandchildren, according to the coroner’s office.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about 11:45 a.m. in Laurens County, said Master Trooper Hannah Davidson of the Highway Patrol.
Cornioli was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Impala north on Hunt Bridge Road, according to Davidson. Near the intersection with Willis Road in the Fountain Inn area, the Impala collided head-on with a 2015 Chevy pickup that was driving south on Hunt Bridge Road, Davidson said.
Cornioli died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office. An autopsy showed he suffered multiple blunt force injuries, the coroner’s office said.
Neither the driver nor the passenger in the pickup were hurt, Davidson said. No other injuries were reported.
The pickup, which was hauling a 40-foot trailer that carried a Bobcat and other heavy-duty masonry equipment, was significantly damaged, according to the coroner’s office.
There was no word if anyone involved in the crash was wearing a seatbelt.
Information about what caused the Chevy vehicles to collide was not available, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.
This was the second deadly head-on crash in Laurens County in less than a week.
On Dec. 11, two vehicles collided on nearby I-385 and both drivers died at the scene, The State previously reported. One of the drivers was a 20-year-old University of South Carolina student, and the other was a 66-year-old Marion, North Carolina resident, according to the coroner’s office.
Through Sunday, 847 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 22 people have died in Laurens County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 15 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 9:12 AM with the headline "SC man killed in head-on crash was on his way to pickup grandkids, coroner says."
