Brian Hickerson appears to be on a path toward further tragedy.
Hayden Panettiere’s troubled former boyfriend was involved in a dramatic motorcycle crash on Sunday, only minutes after collecting his brother from jail, the Daily Mail can reveal. Friends and family say the late star’s on-again, off-again partner is “all kinds of f****d up right now” following her death.
Exclusive Daily Mail video shows Hickerson’s brother, Zach Hickerson, 38, limping in pain after he was thrown from the rear of the motorcycle when it allegedly clipped a car in traffic early Sunday evening in Greenville, South Carolina.
Witnesses said Brian, 37, helped Zach make his way to the curb before driving off on the Suzuki Hayabusa, leaving his shaken brother behind to exchange insurance information with the other motorist.
The alarming crash occurred just hours after both brothers were placed in handcuffs following a bar fight on Saturday night. Brian was left with blood running down his face, while Zach was charged with disorderly conduct.
Brian, who is grieving and has reportedly lost 40 pounds since Panettiere died from a suspected fentanyl overdose one month ago, was seen in an angry exchange with patrons at the Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville, South Carolina.
According to TMZ, a heckler shouted at the realtor and aspiring actor: “You killed her. You probably beat her.” Brian has not been charged with, or accused of, any wrongdoing connected to her death.
Brian reportedly threw a bar stool backward but was not arrested. Zach, meanwhile, was taken into custody on a disorderly conduct charge after police said he was heavily intoxicated and shouting profanities.
Hayden Panettiere’s troubled ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was involved in a motorcycle crash in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday evening, with his brother Zach thrown from the back of the bike.
Exclusive Daily Mail photographs show Zach, left, limping shortly after his brother, right, allegedly clipped a car in traffic. Brian had only just picked up Zach from jail when the crash occurred.
Hayden Panettiere had an on-off relationship with Brian Hickerson, which was marred by domestic abuse allegations, in the years before her shock death last month
Brian and Zach were both present at the Greenville, South Carolina condo where Panettiere was pronounced dead in August
The alleged collision happened at 5:30pm the following day after Zach was released from the Greenville County Detention Center on a $257.50 personal recognizance bond and Brian went to collect him.
It wasn’t immediately clear who was to blame, or whether Zach – who lost a shoe in the tumble – was seriously hurt.
Daily Mail reached out to the brothers, who were both wearing crash helmets, but neither responded.
The brush with disaster came as no shock to family friends who said troubled Brian has barely left his grandma’s home in weeks.
Saturday night’s bar outing was supposedly an attempt to get him to shake off the deep despair that has gripped him since Panettiere’s August 16 overdose.
‘Brian is not dealing with things well,’ a concerned pal warned the Daily Mail.
‘I would go in there and try to see him but he would probably want to fight me. Me and the rest of the world. He is all kinds of f****d up right now.’
Brian’s antics are the latest glimpse into the turmoil surrounding the sudden death of Panettiere, who had a well-documented history of alcohol and opioid addiction.
Onlookers said Brian helped his brother hobble to the curb before riding away on the Suzuki Hayabusa – leaving his dazed sibling to swap insurance details with the motorist
Zach, who lost a shoe during the ordeal, had spent the night holed at the Greenville County Detention Center after the brothers got into a bar fight
At one point, Zach could be seen inspecting his hand after tumbling from the motorcycle. He could be seen putting his hands on his hips and looking at the sky in the moments after
The Nashville actress, 36, was found unresponsive at an upmarket Airbnb after flying from Los Angeles to Greenville, where Brian grew up.
Brian told police he woke from a nap and administered Narcan before paramedics arrived but was unable to revive her.
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Zach, a pastor and former healthcare exec, was also there. They both attempted CPR to no avail.
According to a police report Zach was ‘very emotional’ as first responders tried to save mom-of-one Panettiere’s life.
Brian was stoic and did not become ‘visibly emotional’ until after the star was pronounced dead. He handed cops a ‘bag of medication’ she was taking, the report added.
An official cause of death has still not been determined but investigators are said to be closing in on a ‘longtime drug dealer’ based out of LA.
TMZ reported that multiple law-enforcement sources believe Panettiere took a single oxycodone pill on the morning of her death that was laced with fentanyl.
Zach had been riding on the back of his brother’s motorcycle when they apparently struck a car – causing Zach to fall and lose a shoe
Zach, who had only just been picked up from jail, was forced to put his sneaker back on on the side the road
The ordeal unfolded when Brian, who has served time in the past for domestic violence, arrived to pick up his brother from jail
Investigators are now trying to establish where the black-market pill came from and identify the person who supplied it.
They are reportedly digging into a trove of text messages between Panettiere and the alleged peddler, including messages exchanged right up until the week she died.
Brian has already spoken with federal investigators as part of the probe, according to TMZ, but he has not faced arrest and has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Panettiere and Brian began dating in 2018 and endured a volatile on-again, off-again relationship.
Brian was arrested in 2019 over an alleged attack on Panettiere and was later arrested again in Wyoming in February 2020.
He ultimately pleaded no contest in 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend and was sentenced to 45 days, though he spent only 13 behind bars.
The brothers appeared to be in a heated exchange with hecklers on Saturday at a Greenville, South Carolina restaurant – ultimately leading to police placing Brian in handcuffs and Zach being arrested
Panettiere briefly dated Zach Hickerson, the brother of her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson after Brian was locked up for domestic abuse. They were spotted holding hands in New York City in 2019
Panettiere later described the relationship and the abuse she said she endured in her memoir, detailing how addiction and violence became intertwined with a romance that she repeatedly struggled to leave.
Zach described Panettiere as ‘one of my dearest and closest friends’ in the wake of her death.
Daily Mail revealed that Zach and Panettiere had also been in a brief relationship.
She was photographed holding hands with him in New York City in 2019 when an onlooker remarked: ‘They looked very comfortable. Like a real couple.’
Brian’s lawyer Sloane Ellis has been contacted for comment.
‘Hayden’s death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,’ he previously said.
‘As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play.’
The Greenville County Coroner’s office told the Daily Mail: ‘It should not be much longer before the Coroner’s Investigation report is complete to include the cause and manner of death.’
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