Collin Rice, a student in SIU’s Aviation Management program, died Oct. 11 in a motorcycle crash in Carbondale.

On Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2:49 a.m., Rice came into contact with another motorcyclist, Tyler Hill, on Dowell Road, according to a news release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. As Rice attempted to pass Hill, the vehicles came into contact with one another, causing the accident, according to the release. 

Hill was able to recover with minor injuries at a nearby hospital, but Rice was thrown from the motorcycle and sustained multiple injuries, which led him to be pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. The Sheriff’s Office cited alcohol as a contributing factor in the crash and said neither Rice nor Hill were wearing helmets.

Rice was a resident of Oak Park, Illinois and active in the SIU community as a part of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals and as an Academic Peer Advocate.

He was known better as C Rice to his loved ones.

He loved to go out with his friends. Liam Dunn, a friend of Rice, said that he was “the life of the party.”

“He was a fun person to be around; always cracking jokes, telling stories,” Dunn said.

In an email sent to SIU faculty and students on Tuesday, Oct. 14, Chancellor Austin Lane wrote, “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew him.”

“As we mourn this loss together, please keep Collin’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers,” Lane wrote.

SIU Counseling and Psychological Services can be reached at 618-453-5371, Lane wrote.

There will be a celebration of Rice’s life on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. behind Bowyer Hall at SIU’s Campus Lake. 

Those who knew him are encouraged to attend, the flyer for the event says. The flyer also encourages them to bring candles to light in his memory and fishing equipment.

The flyer said, “If C Rice was there, he’d be fishing and having us fish too.”

Staff Reporter Orion Wolf can be reached at owolf@dailyegyptian.com or orionwolf6 on Instagram

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