Two motorists died in a head-on crash Monday morning on Pine Log Road. The Aiken County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Katris Tolliver, of Augusta, and Dale Allen Rhein, of Aiken.
According to South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Judd Jones, Rhein was the driver of a 2003 Jeep Wrangler traveling on Pine Log Road about 7:10 a.m. when he went off the right side of the highway near Huber Clay Road. Police believe he overcorrected his vehicle and struck a 2002 Toyota Avalon driven by Tolliver.
Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. Rhein was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. Tolliver did have her seatbelt on, authorities said.
My heart breaks for the families of these victims. Pine Log Road is a heavily traveled connector between Aiken and Beech Island/Jackson. This location is a dangerous stretch with the confluence of several roads on a curve. Pine Log Road is in dire need of widening each lane and repaving from Piney Heights Road south to Atomic Road. The section from Piney Heights north to Aiken was widened and repaved a few years ago. Wider lanes and improved road surface may have reduced potential for this kind of an accident.
R.I.P Kay. You will be missed and your family will be in my prayers. I wish I could have seen you one more time before you were called home, but god truly knows best. We will be praying from way out here in Oklahoma that your family heals quickly...
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