LEXINGTON, S.C. — Lexington Police have charged a man in connection with Monday's crash involving a motorcycle, a van, and school bus that left a man dead.
Columbia Police said the incident happened around 7:14 a.m. in the 100 block of Industrial Drive, which is just off the Highway 1 exit on Interstate 20.
According to police, a Lexington School District One school bus has slowed to a stop at that location with a motorcycle stopping behind it. Police said the van driver hit the motorcycle. Police said the van then collided with the back of the bus, pinning the motorcycle rider between the vehicles. The motorcycle driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Lexington County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Jon Douglas Ratcliffe, 45, of Lexington.
The school bus was carrying seven students who attend Pleasant Hill Middle and Lexington High schools at the time of the accident, according to Lexington School District One. The students were then reunited with their parents and guardians,. One student was reported to have minor cut on the arm and was transported by EMS to a local hospital.
Lexington Police said the driver of the van, who was also treated by EMS, was at fault. The person was charged with driving without a driver's license and officers said additional charges are pending. He was taken to the Lexington County Detention Center.
Lexington Police had all lanes of Industrial Drive, from South Lake Drive/SC-6 to Zenker Road, closed for several hours while South Carolina Department of Public Safety MAIT investigated the scene.