Motorcycle strikes wild boar, killing one person and injuring another in SC, police say
A motorcycle struck a wild boar, leaving one person dead and another injured in South Carolina, officials said.
The S.C. Highway Patrol said a motorcycle was going north on Sniders Highway when it hit the animal on Monday night around 7:30 p.m.
Officials said the riders were thrown off the bike during the crash.
The person driving the motorcycle wasn’t wearing a helmet and died at the scene, near Walterboro and roughly 60 miles west of Charleston, highway patrol said in a news release.
State troopers said the passenger, who was wearing a helmet, was “flown to Trident Medical Center” in North Charleston.
The Colleton County coroner’s office didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Tuesday morning.
Wild pigs have lived on the South Carolina coast since Spaniards released them in the 1500s, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. By 2008, humans had brought them to counties across the state.
The animals can wreak havoc on crops and carry diseases that pose risks to humans, according to experts. Wild boars can live in various habitats and grow to be 175 to 200 pounds on average, with some getting even larger, according to Texas A&M.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
