Monday afternoon started out like any other quiet start to the week in Columbia County. Frank Thurmond Lanier was out riding his 2006 Big Dog motorcycle, enjoying the open road. At 58 years old, the Appling resident was living out his retirement after spending decades putting out fires and saving lives across the area. But around 4:40 p.m., a split-second turn at a busy local intersection cut that peaceful afternoon short and took a local hero away from his community.
Lanier was heading west along Columbia Road on his motorcycle, cruising toward the intersection at North Old Belair Road. At the exact same moment, a 2018 Honda Accord sat waiting on North Old Belair Road, facing south. The car attempted to make a left turn onto Columbia Road to head east. As it pulled out into the intersection, it crossed straight into the path of Lanier’s motorcycle.
The front of the Honda Accord struck the right side of Lanier’s motorcycle with sudden force. The impact knocked the bike over onto its left side and threw Lanier off onto the pavement. In an instant, what should have been an ordinary turn turned into a tragic scene that shocked passersby.
Good Samaritans on the scene did not hesitate to help. Several bystanders rushed over immediately and began performing CPR on Lanier right on the roadway while waiting for help to arrive. First responders from Columbia County Fire Rescue pulled up shortly after to take over emergency care. Lanier was quickly rushed by ambulance to Doctors Hospital in Augusta, but despite everyone’s best efforts, he was pronounced dead.
News of Lanier’s passing sent a wave of grief through the entire Augusta region. For decades, he was a familiar and trusted face at the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department. He dedicated his life to protecting his neighbors, working his way up the ranks to senior battalion chief at Station 1 before retiring about five years ago. Tributes immediately began pouring in across social media from fellow firefighters and community members who remembered him as a true leader.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officers worked to piece together exactly how the collision occurred. Deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the scene and identified the driver of the Accord as 41-year-old Shalimar Shante Anderson of Evans. According to investigators, Anderson failed to yield the right-of-way while turning left, leading directly to the fatal impact.
Deputies charged Anderson with failure to yield while turning left and second-degree vehicular homicide. She was slated for booking into the Columbia County Detention Center. For the family, friends, and fellow firefighters who knew Frank Lanier, the sudden loss leaves a massive hole in a community he spent a lifetime serving.
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