A Clemson student was fatally hit in a motor vehicle collision involving a CATbus in Central, South Carolina, on Oct. 13.
A deputy responded to the location at 4:21 p.m., and Jacob Babayan, the 26-year-old student, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Babayan was helmeted and driving a motorcycle when the collision occurred. The Pickens County Coroner’s Office is currently investigating the incident.
Babayan served in the United States Marine Corps for six years and was a member of the Student Veterans Association at Clemson. Webb Gillespie, SVA president, spoke on behalf of the organization to Babayan’s character.
“We are absolutely heartbroken at the news of Jacob’s passing,” Gillespie told The Tiger in an interview. He noted that Babayan “always lit up the room” and “brought a smile to all our faces,” adding that Babayan’s happiness was contagious.
“He was a confident and humble guy who could make the toughest guy in the room crack a smile,” Gillespie said.
The organization didn’t just lose a fellow student; they lost a brother, according to Gillespie.
Babayan was a gifted musician and a natural athlete, and “accomplished more in his 26 years than he could’ve ever imagined,” according to his obituary.
The SVA told The Tiger that it will keep Babayan’s family in its thoughts and prayers.
The visitation will be held on Friday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. at Cornerstone Baptist Church, 8505 Pelham Road, with the funeral service following at 11 a.m. Graveside service with military honors at Woodlawn Memorial Park will be at noon or immediately following the funeral service.
