Rider dies after being thrown from motorcycle in crash identified by coroner
A motorcycle rider was killed in a late-night crash on a Midlands road, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Jackie Ronald Burchett was identified as the man who died, Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill said Monday. The 58-year-old Great Falls resident’s cause of death has not been determined and is pending an autopsy, according to Hill.
The single-vehicle collision happened at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday on Wateree Road in Fairfield County, said Master Trooper David Jones of Highway Patrol. That’s near U.S. 21 on the west side of Lake Wateree.
A 2001 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was heading south on Wateree Road when it went off the left side of the road, according to Jones. The motorcycle hit a ditch and Burchett was ejected, Jones said.
The motorcycle rider was taken to an area hospital and later died, according to Jones. There was no word if Burchett wore a helmet.
No other injuries were reported.
Information on what caused the Harley-Davidson to veer off the road was not available, but the collision continues to be investigated by Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Through Friday afternoon, 109 motorcycle riders were among the 761 people who had died on South Carolina roads in 2021, state Department of Public Safety data shows. That’s well ahead of the 87 motorcycle riders who were killed in crashes at the same point last year.
At least seven people have been killed in Fairfield County crashes in 2021, and this was the first involving a motorcycle, according to DPS.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published September 12, 2021 at 10:15 AM.
